


Not Another Princess Prom Story

by JamesSunderlandsPillow



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Comedy, Epilogue, Fluff, Just happy shit pretty much, Multi, Princess Prom, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:35:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24292192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JamesSunderlandsPillow/pseuds/JamesSunderlandsPillow
Summary: Following the defeat of Horde Prime, Frosta is given the opportunity to host another All Princess’ Ball. (I do not own She-Ra and The Princesses of Power).
Relationships: Catra x Adora - Relationship, Entrapta x Hordak, Glimmer x Bow, Scorpia x Perfuma, Sea Hawk x Mermista, catradora - Relationship
Comments: 49
Kudos: 267





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Stars didn't shine over the Fright Zone. For as many things that have changed for Catra and Adora since those days, one thing they never took into consideration was the possibility of being able to stare up at a starry night sky in Brightmoon. It wasn't as exciting as going for flights on Swift Wind's back and doing loopdy-loops. It wasn't quite as interesting as going to Madame Razz's for tea and pie. Sea Hawk wasn't here to set any ships on fire, and Glimmer and Bow weren't around to pick on for eating so much cake.

But alone together under the starry night sky, Adora and Catra took solace in their time together. They didn't need swords or staffs to have a good time, they were content just lying together and basking in the glory of the universe around them while appreciating one another's company.

One thing they could both agree on is that between the two, the universe was the second best part.

Adora is the first to wake up the next morning, the sounds of birds chirping and a whistling calm breeze creating the soundtrack to an already perfect day. One thing that's really changed since winning the war has been finding more time to relax, but with Catra's help, she's had a much easier time than anticipated in getting used to the finer things in life. Like laying on a hammock, just taking in a beautiful day with her cat girlfriend resting peacefully on her chest and purring all the while. She looks so beautiful even in her sleep, and Adora can't help but smile as she gently caresses her hand across the back of her head. That's when she notices the way she smiles too.

"You're not falling back asleep, are you?" she asks, inviting her to look up to her with those conversely gorgeous yellow and blue eyes of hers. Catra makes her wait a moment before doing so, meeting her with the same content smile as before.

"I don't need to. I've got everything I'd dream about right here," she answers.

On the inside, Adora feels her heart beat a little faster as butterflies flutter in her tummy. On the outside, her cheeks just pinken a little before she tells her, "Wow. That was really corny."

Catra just keeps smiling the same way Adora does though. "Eh, gotta keep you on your toes. Can't be mean to you all the time."

"Well I appreciate it," Adora simply says, those heterochromiac eyes compelling her to kiss her girlfriend's forehead. Catra doesn't seem to mind one bit, only bashfully looking back to her for a moment before nuzzling against her chest some more. They just lay like this for a little while, gracefully easing out of their sweetest dreams and into the waking world that awaits them. There's so many things they could do today, but they aren't in any hurry to let their time together be interrupted.

Catra eventually gets tired of the quiet though, choosing to share a thought of hers with her knight in shining sweatpants. "So Adora… Have you given any more thought to this road trip of yours?" she asks, again choosing to look up to her eyes. This time, Adora seems a little more apprehensive to accept them.

Her smile wanes as she considers how to respond, almost like she's nervous about how to answer. "I mean, there's some places I've thought about. I guess we just need to think about where the most important places to go are. Maybe ask Entrapta or Micah about some things. Figure it out from there…"

She meant to be more casual with her question, but judging from Adora's terrible acting, Catra knows something might be troubling her. Something that maybe she's even considered herself. She was always a fan of playing it cool and being subtle though, and that doesn't change even now that they're like… girlfriends, or whatever. So she just calmly sits herself up. "But what do you want?"

Adora can see that she isn't teasing now, and she too sits up to think over her answer. The last time she was asked this, she felt she didn't have much choice. Things were much more dire. Now, there's no Horde to worry about. There's no war, no fighting, just her and her oldest friend, her newest lover. The one person she can confide everything to.

So if there's anyone to open up about this with, why not Catra? "I want to know more about myself. Where I come from, who my parents were," she begins, still somewhat anxious. She can see the way Catra just watches on with patience and understanding though, and it helps her feel a little more at ease as she decides to elaborate further. "I still have so many questions about the First Ones and why they did the things they did. I want to know why I was taken through that portal… I just don't want to put what I want over what's important, you know?"

"What you want is important though," Catra is sure to let her know. She's also sure to let her know there's compassion and conviction in her words as she takes her hand, and she offers a smile too as she continues on. "You defeated the Horde, Adora. I think you're entitled to one personal mission."

Adora can't help but smile back, and she softly sighs as she runs her thumb over Catra's. "Fine. I guess I'll take your advice. But only on one condition."

"Always so dramatic with you, isn't it?" Catra amusedly scoffs. Sure she'll listen to her most intimate secrets and stuff, but she's still gonna play it cool.

Adora knows that. It's not going to stop her from being really sappy sometimes, though. "I want you to be right there beside me when I go," she tells her, bringing her face close to hers.

Catra's tempted to just turn and kiss her right on the lips, but she decides to have a little more fun with her. So instead she just tells her three words she knows she'll love hearing. "Now that's corny."

They share a laugh, both of their faces rosy with blushes. Even with the threat of Horde Prime looming over them, they found it easy to make one another laugh being together again. Now that there's no big bad villain to face though, and now that they've eliminated any pretense that they aren't head over heels for one another; they just embrace the things they feel together. Things deep and intimate, and some things just a little more silly and fun like finding new ways to tease one another.

"You know I'm really starting to like your hair," Adora tells Catra as she runs her hand through her short brown locks. Catra playfully shoves her way.

"You didn't before?"

"Nope. It was scraggly."

Catra meets her pompous grin with a little bite of her own. "You would know about scraggly. You were the manliest cadet at the Fright Zone."

"Pffft, no way. Kyle's definitely more manly than me," Adora jokes, deciding to lie back down on the hammock for a bit with her signature brand of bravado. Catra wants to keep razzing her, but the Kyle quip is just too funny to ignore, and she cracks.

"You're so stupid!" she laughs before deciding to lay down herself. She teasingly uses her toes to play with Adora's hair, and Adora swats her foot away before remembering something that makes her laugh too.

"Remember that time we all played hide and seek and he started crying because we made him hide in the broom closet?"

Catra unashamedly belly laughs again. "We were so mean to him!" They really were.

"He honestly made those games as fun as they were," Adora says, wiping a tear from her eye. She seems so at peace and confident with how the conversation is going. It would be a shame if someone ruined that for her, Catra deviously thinks to herself before deciding to have a little more fun at her expense.

"Someone had to. You suck at hide and seek."

Over the years, Catra's learned a lot of neat ways to get under her adorable girlfriend's skin. She hates it when people steal food from her plate, and she has a strong pet peeve for people that don't push in their chairs. She almost hates that as much as she does people opening doors and then not closing them on the way out. Nothing riles her up quite like questioning her skills though. No one is as competitive as Adora.

Which is why Catra just smiles as she jolts back up with a sour look on her face. "I do not!" Putty in her paws...

"You totally suck! Scorpia is better at hiding than you and she's a tank!" she furthers, just toying with her now.

"You haven't even played hide and seek with Scorpia!" Adora retorts, frowning at her as she takes her turn just coolly lying back without a care in the world.

"Well I'm going to. Just so I can prove she's better than you," she arrogantly answers, chill as can be. At this point, Adora realizes she's just being a butthead to get on her nerves. But if there's one thing she likes more than letting Catra feel good about herself, it's proving her wrong when she's being a butthead. So she wickedly smiles as she hatches an idea.

"No, I've got a better idea," she says before lightly jabbing Catra's leg to get her to sit up.

It works, and she just rubs the tender spot as she meets her eyes again. "Oh yeah? What's that bubble butt?"

"We're gonna play hide and seek right now, and I'm totally gonna kick your butt!"

Catra can't help but guffaw. "Hide and seek? You're such a romantic," she sarcastically tells Adora, who doesn't even wait for an answer before hopping out of the hammock to get her game on. She doesn't need to say anything, her snide grin does all the talking as she does a little stretching to get ready. Catra sees she's serious, and what the heck? Why not take some time to show her who's boss? "Fine. Go hide then. I bet I can find you in five minutes!" she claims as she too dismounts the hammock.

"You'll probably cheat like you always do," Adora says with a mocking voice before turning her attention to a certain magical feline that rests in a spot by the balcony railing just a few feet away. "Don't help her, Melog!"

Melog just perks their head up, blinking once before scratching their ear with their foot.

One last fighting glare is shared between the two young women, and seeing that neither one of them is willing to give even an inch in this battle of playground sportsmanship, they waste no more time in getting to brass tacks.

"I'm counting now! One!... Two!..." Catra declares as she turns to do just that, burying her face in her forearms by the nearest column. Adora takes a second to laugh at her before getting _very_ serious about finding a hiding place. No more messing around, it's life or death! Or, well, hide and seek… but still! She hurriedly looks in every direction, quickly deciding that no hiding spot will do out here. She'll have to hurry inside and try to find something suitable in there!

And of course Catra peeks as she hears her beloved meathead of a girlfriend trying to sneak inside the palace. She thinks she's being really quiet as she motions the glass sliding door open, but she couldn't be anymore wrong. Fortunately for Catra, she's a lot more sneaky with her quiet little laugh.

Once she's sure Adora is so focused on finding a hiding spot that she won't bother checking on her anymore, she makes her way over to Melog. Her magical companion and friend perks their ears up a little upon noticing, and Catra gives them a little chin scratchies as she kneels to their level. "Go make sure she finds a good place to hide and not just a lamp shade to stand under," she instructs with a warm smile.

Understanding her command, Melog stops purring and rises up from their cozy little resting spot to set forth. Catra decides to be nice and give them and Adora a little more time to get situated, and after one deep breath and few seconds to stretch, she hollers out, "Alright Wonder Bra, ready or not, here I come!"

This will be a piece of cake. Adora's _always_ been awful at this game. Sure, she's the baddest brawler in the world, and she's the master of pretty much every sport Etheria has to offer. But anything that requires not being a bull in a china shop? Nah. That's where Catra has the advantage. And she owns that as she just casually struts her way into the palace, _pretending_ to look like she's trying hard to find her.

"Oh gee, wherever could she be?" she says aloud, peering all around their bedroom, checking the lamps first to see if any posts have been replaced by tone, young blondes. Whether Melog got to her in time or not, she has to give Adora some credit, she at least didn't make it _that_ easy. However, she doesn't stay very impressed for long as she sees two familiar boots sticking out from underneath their bed.

She has to laugh. "Really Adora? This is dumb, even for you." She then creeps her way over to the bed, building some suspense for herself before quickly reaching to grab her ankle. "Gotcha!"

She's genuinely surprised to see that the boot isn't on Adora's stupid foot, and that it was instead set in place to trick her! And it worked! She digests this new information, somewhat impressed, but whatever pleasant surprise she felt soon becomes subjugated by the more powerful desire to crush her rival in this extreme contest of wits. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh?"

She looks around the room for a moment, realizing that there's nowhere else in here for her to hide. Nope, Adora has taken off for somewhere else in the big, sparkly castle, and with the help of Melog, she could be anywhere! In a way, she's excited at the prospect of actually being challenged for once. On the other hand, she said that it would only take five minutes to find her. And she hates being proven wrong.

"Alright you gorgeous, bird-brained piece of trash. Time to get serious!" she cries out before making her way out into the hall to continue her pursuit.

* * *

**Hey there true believers, I hope you're doing well. Still recovering from the series finale? Yeah, me too.** **Fret not, though! Through the power of fanfiction, we can cope! :D**

**Basically, I'm writing this as an epilogue of sorts for the series. I plan to explore all the major ships and characters from the show, all leading up to a Princess Prom to end things on a high note. We'll get to that in the next chapter, but I kind of wanted to get this out here as soon as possible so I stopped after the first scene to hurry and publish something xD  
**

**I have nothing better to do right now besides stay home, quarantine, and obsess over Catradora, so hopefully the next update will be pretty soon. Until then, thanks so much for checking this out, and I hope to see you soon, friends of Mara!**


	2. Hide and Secrets

**Hide and Secrets**

There was a time that Micah never felt alone. When he ruled over the kingdom of Brightmoon alongside his beloved wife Angella, she was always by his side, always there to love and support him through both times of war and times of poor quality puns. So much has changed since then though. The other girl in the framed photo he studies isn't a little girl like she used to be. She's now the queen of the kingdom and the leader of the Princess' Alliance, as grown up as a girl can be.

They've made time to get to know one another through walks in the garden and talking about everything from their favorite foods to their fondest memories of her departed mother, but there's only so much time they can make for each other when the entire world depends on her leading its leaders. Add to the fact that she also has her friends and her own interests, and naturally Micah finds time where he has to be alone. He's spent enough time alone though. Both literally and figuratively.

So with a heavy sigh, he takes one last good look at the picture on his dresser, and he decides to find anything else to do besides dwelling on the past. As he does, he hears a serendipitous knocking on his door. "Come in!" he says, trying to sound casual.

He's pleasantly surprised to see that it's Bow making his way in. "Hey your majesty. I hope I'm not bothering you," the young man politely greets.

Micah just does his best not to seem so excited over his sudden company. "You? Never! And please Bow, you don't have to call me 'your majesty.' Micah is fine," he explains with a smile.

Bow smiles too, although there's more apprehension behind his. "Alright Mr. Micah- Glimmer's dad- uh... Big Guy," he stammers, followed by some nervous laughter and some neck rubbing.

It's curious behavior to say the least, especially for someone as upbeat as Bow. "Is everything alright, son?" Micah asks him.

Bow answers with a little more nervous laughter before sighing. At first it would seem he's here with bad news with the way he deflates, but his normal brand of optimism returns with a slight smile as he straightens himself up. "Honestly? Things are pretty perfect. That's kind of why I wanted to talk to you, actually…"

Hearing that relieves the older man. "Usually when people want to talk to me it's because something bad is happening. Or they want to hear about how I survived on Beast Island for so long. If I have to tell the story about almost accidentally eating my toe one more time I swear I think I'll-" he spirals, at least until he notices Bow's discomfited wincing. "Right. Sorry, I'm still getting used to having people to talk to instead of rocks."

"It's fine. I really hate to impose anyway," Bow insists, which only makes Micah more unsatisfied with his own behavior.

"Nonsense! You're practically family to me. It's not like I need to get ready for the Princess' Ball or anything, heh…" he says, losing a little vigor with his last words.

There's a little awkward silence that follows, but Bow remembers to stay determined. After all, he's got something very important to discuss with the king. "Well, I'm happy to hear you say that. The first part I mean! Not the- uhm… Let me start over," he stutters before taking another deep breath.

It's as if his entire demeanor changes with the seconds that follow. Micah's seen this before from many men and women that have approached him over the years. Heavy is the head that holds the crown, as they say. Something is different about Bow right now, though. Micah doesn't feel as if he needs to keep his guard up, but rather that he needs to just pay good attention to what the boy has to say to him.

Finally, Bow decides on how to say what he's been feeling. "King Micah, I really, really love your daughter. She's been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I watched her grow up from a shy little girl who liked eating paste and pretending to be a sorceress to being- well, an actual sorceress. And a noble queen with so many more friends. And I still don't think it's enough for her," he tells her father, doing his best to ignore the rapid beating of his heart and instead focus on his eyes. He wants him to see just how much conviction there is in his words. "She makes me feel like I'm more than just a boy from the Whispering Woods with a bow and some tech. When I'm with her, I feel like we can take on the world. I feel like everything is possible. I don't know if I'm making any sense here."

Hearing all of this brings Micah an old feeling he hasn't had in a very long time. A feeling he's very proud to know again. "No, you are," he says, inviting him to keep going.

He takes another breath before he does though, finally mustering the courage to say what's most important. "I want to ask Glimmer to marry me at the ball."

It's as if time freezes for Micah as he lets those words sink in. Back before Beast Island, back when he thought he knew Brightmoon, things were much slower. He was on top of things, he knew the people and the rules they all played by. Now it's hard to stay on top of everything when he still has so much to learn about all of the kingdom's new faces, and just when he thought he was getting things figured out with his own daughter, Bow drops this bombshell on him. It scares him to think that things are going to change even more. His little girl is going to grow up even more.

But the longer he looks into Bow's eyes, and the more he listens to the sound of his voice, the less afraid he is. The more understanding he becomes that this isn't about how he feels, it's about what will make his daughter happy.

"I know in my heart that we belong together, and I want to prove that to her by asking her to be my wife. I just- I didn't want to do it unless I had your blessing," Bow finishes, almost bowing his head after to let him know he comes to him from a modest place.

For a moment, the king is silent as he fully digests everything that's been said. Bow can't help but notice just how hard his heart is beating now, or how he feels so warm in his cheeks. This is it, the moment of truth. If he says no, then it's game over. If he says yes, he still has a lot of work to do. He doesn't know which one is scarier, but definitely he knows which answer he hopes to hear.

It would seem Micah has come to a decision as he eases into his response. "There comes a time in every man's life where he knows what he really wants for himself. It's different for everyone, but some men are lucky enough to find someone like your Glimmer. Or someone like my Angella," he says, taking a moment to look again to the framed photo of his family that was taken a lifetime ago. He stays quiet for a moment, leaving Bow to watch with both anticipation and an appreciation for his sentiment. Then, Micah looks to him again, a soft smile encroaching his face. "Come with me. I want to show you something."

Ever so dutifully, Bow is sure to follow his lead as he leaves the room for the hall. He isn't left in the dark for too long though as Micah guides him to the sanctum across the way, the sacred place where all of Brightmoon's royal ancestors are honored. Bow always feels so humbled to walk this corridor, but even more so now that he's walking with the king of Brightmoon; Glimmer's father.

His short nebulous is perturbed by the sound of Micah's voice, and he's sure to pay close attention as he speaks to him. "When I was your age, Angie and I didn't have the easiest time maintaining a romance. Her father was convinced that I cared more about his throne than her love, and a lot of people didn't think a lowly foot soldier like myself was worthy of her time," he starts, passing by murals of the great kings and queens before him. He smiles all the while though. "Lucky for me, Angie didn't care what other people thought. And in time, I learned to stop caring too. I knew that the road would be hard, but I also knew that all I wanted was to be by her side. To love and support her, and even to start a family of our own…"

He leads Bow to the newest addition to the royal sanctum, a statue erected in his late wife's honor. Even in a stone of her likeness, she looks beautiful, graceful, honorable. All of the things she was back when she was around to take care of everyone… and argue with Glimmer about grounding her. It saddens Bow to know that Micah couldn't be here for those times, and he knows it has to break his heart.

He can tell that isn't why he's escorted him here, though. Soon enough, he begins to understand as the king brings his hand to the statue's, conjuring a quick surge of magic to flash a light over it. "I made some costly mistakes. Mistakes that caused me to lose a lifetime with my wife and my daughter," he tells Bow. Then, he turns away from the statue, now holding a gorgeously crafted ring in the palm of his hand. "That's why I thank the heavens that you came into Glimmer's life, Bow. You were there for her when she needed someone the most."

Hearing those words, seeing this ring… It weakens Bow in a way he's never felt before. Never has he felt so unworthy to be in the king's presence, or to step foot in the halls of this sacred palace. "Micah…"

Micah won't have any of that though. As the king, he gets to decide whether or not the young man before him is worthy. "I didn't have much back home at Mysticor. Everything I had, I had to work very hard for. That definitely includes the ring I made for Angella when I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her," he proudly tells him, looking to the ring as he speaks. It's a ring that holds a special place in his heart like no object ever has, but that value is still second to the worth he puts on his daughter and her friends. "I had planned on gifting this to Glimmer when the time was right; but I see now that it's not my place to do that. It's yours, Bow. I want you to keep being the man you've always been for my daughter."

Now it's Bow who feels time has frozen. All he can do is stare at the ring in Micah's hand, almost too afraid to look up to his eyes and answer his call. He musters that much strength though. If not for Micah or himself, then at least for the woman he loves. "I- I don't know what to say."

Micah just smiles though. He knows that this is what's right and what's meant to be, and as Angella would have agreed, there's nothing to fear in doing what's right. "Well, finding the right words is always hard. Especially when it counts most," he says before taking Bow's hand. He only glances to his eyes for a moment before looking back down to his hand, slipping the ring into it and clasping his fingers for him. He's sure to look back to his eyes before letting go. "But when you're looking into her eyes, and you see the way they shine at you… You'll know. Trust me."

There's still so much nervous energy coursing through Bow's veins. He wasn't sure what to expect from the king, but this generosity absolutely stuns him. Whether he believes himself worthy or not anymore, it doesn't matter now. Now he has to make Micah proud and do this ring the justice it's earned, and he has to make himself the man that Glimmer deserves. All he can think to say to her father is, "Thank you."

They smile at one another, knowing that nothing more on the matter needs said. Micah knows no one is more honorable to hold this ring, and he knows that Bow will own this responsibility better than anyone could dream of doing.

Then, he hears crying. At first he thinks it might be Bow, but no, it's not him. Bow then hear the sound of sniffling too, and they both look around to see where it might be coming from. An intruder perhaps?

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Micah threatens as he conjures up magical energy around his fists. If someone wants to challenge him here in his most sacred sanctum, they've got another thing coming.

No one answers his challenge though. Instead, the crying just continues until a familiar face makes their self known from behind one of the columns. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Adora begins, still trying to stifle her tears. "I was hiding from Catra, and Melog said to hide in here, and I didn't want to interrupt your b-beautiful speech," she stammers, earning confused looks from both Bow and Micah. She sniffles a few times as if she might finally have some control over herself, but as Melog unveils themself from behind her, she bursts into more tears. "I never had a dad!..."

Seeing that it's just Adora and not an assassin, Micah cools his fists, and Bow makes his way over to comfort her. "There, there. It's okay. No one's mad at you," he insists before putting a hand on her shoulder. It still takes her a minute to fully recover though.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" she repeats, slowly coming back to form.

Once the guys of the room see that she's less hysterical, Bow takes it upon himself to ask for some clarification. "So… What are you doing again exactly?"

Realizing that her situation is a little peculiar, Adora laughs a little anxiously. "Oh, uh, I'm playing hide and seek with Catra."

Both men raise eyebrows at her answer. "I know I've been out of the loop for a while, but isn't that a kids' game?" Micah asks.

"I mean, sort of. But in my defense I'm mostly doing it to prove to Catra that I'm better at hide and seek than her. And so far it's working out pretty good," Adora confidently answers.

Micah just shrugs, and Bow kneels down to give her magical feline companion some head scratchies. "I'd be a good hider too if I had Melog's magic to help me," he teases.

"That- That's completely besides the point," Adora scoffs before choosing to change the subject for no other reason than to express interest in her friends' lives. "So hey! I couldn't help but overhear the good news!"

It takes Bow a moment to realize just what she means, but then he remembers that Glimmer's father, the man who gifted him the ring he holds in his hand after a heartfelt talk, is standing behind him. He looks back to him, seeing the way he smiles, and then he looks to the ring again as a smile comes to his face too. "Yeah, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna ask Glimmer to marry me at the ball."

Unable to contain her sheer enthusiasm, Adora squeals. "Eeeeeeek! That's so precious!"

Bow is quick to shush her. "Shh! Adora, this has to stay a secret!" he tells her. "If Glimmer finds out before I ask her, it will ruin the big surprise!"

She realizes she could probably be a little quieter, and she clams up a little. "Sorry, I'm just so happy for you guys!"

Although enamored by her sentiment, Bow's more neurotic side shows as he reiterates the importance of his new secret. "You have to promise me you won't say anything to anyone. Not even Catra!"

"Alright, you have my word. It'll stay our secret!" Adora promises with a salute, standing stiff as a board with a proud grin on her lips to show that she really means it. Bow and Micah both size her up a bit before coming to the same conclusion.

"You're totally gonna tell Catra, aren't you?" the former asks.

"Oh, totally. She'll squeeze it out of me somehow. You know I'm a terrible actress," she bluntly states while still grinning.

Bow sighs. "Alright, I guess it's fine as long Glimmer doesn't find out."

Adora knows that this isn't some silly game though, so she decides to show him that she takes this seriously with a loving hand on the shoulder. "Bow, trust me. I would never do anything to ruin this for you. You got this."

Seeing the conviction in her eyes, he knows that she'll do her very best to hold these words true. And he knows in his heart that if he can rely on anyone for anything this important, it would be his best friend Adora. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

The four denizens exchange happy glances as they cement their new shared understanding, then Adora takes the initiative to move past the conversation to focus on something else that sparks her curiosity. "So speaking of Glimmer, where is she?"

First Bow raises a brow, then Micah. The two men look to one another with thoughtful expressions before realizing that neither one of them actually knows how to answer her question.

"Eh, she couldn't have gone too far," Adora shrugs before remembering something else super important. "Oh, you guys have to help me find a new hiding spot before Catra shows up! The longer it takes her to find me, the more I can rub it in!"

The guys just have a laugh at that before agreeing to help. "Sure thing, Adora," Bow happily responds.

* * *

Meanwhile in a quaint hidden deep within the Whispering Woods, Queen Glimmer sips on a glass of warm tea as she watches one of her boyfriend's fathers hysterically crying on the shoulder of his husband. She can't remember ever seeing, or hearing, the sobs of a grown man, and it certainly makes her feel like a fish out of water to be in such a situation. Bow's worth it though, and so are his dads.

George can see that she's doing her best to be understanding over Lance's failure to contain his emotions, but he's had a lot more experience with this sort of thing. He's a little less patient as he stops patting his long dark hair to become more stern. "Honey, will you please try to calm down," he begs his husband before turning again to their guest. "Glimmer, your scones are going to get cold."

"Sorry," she simply says with an awkward grin before forcing herself to take a bite of one. They're definitely not as good once they've had time to cool off this much. Baked goods are the least of her worries though. She came here with a much more important agenda, and she'll stay determined to see this through. Even if it means listening to Lance bawl his eyes out like this.

He finally catches enough breath to actually speak instead of just sobbing, and he looks to Glimmer with puffy red eyes. "I just- I can't believe Bow is so lucky to have you," he tells her before returning to the comfort of George's shoulders. The mustachioed man rolls his eyes, but he remains sympathetic as he goes back to patting his head. "He hasn't had a nap today," he says while shielding his face so that only Glimmer may hear it.

"I can see that," Glimmer curtly says with a wince before looking to the ground for comfort. She still had more she would like to say about her announcement, but ever since she broke the good news to the scholarly couple, Lance has been a well of tears that just won't seem to tap out. She stays calm and lets him have this though. After all, they could become her father-in-laws if all goes well.

"I always hoped that he would fi-find somebody to love him. But you- you're actually going to propose to him!? Ohhohohohoho…" Lance says before losing control again.

George just sighs. "The good outweighs the bad, George. The good outweighs the bad."

Finally Lance takes enough initiative to regain some composure. He sits up and fans himself a little, trying to regulate his breathing. "Okay, okay. I'm chill. We're chill. Phew…"

Seeing that this might be the only chance she has left to elaborate more on her plan to propose to their son, Glimmer puts her tea down to get her game face on. "Thanks for letting me come over to ask you guys about it. I just wouldn't feel right dropping this on everyone without your guys' blessings," she begins with a smile, one that's reciprocated by George.

"Don't be ridiculous, Glimmer. We're honored to know that you're going to be our new daughter-in-law," he assures her before checking to see if Lance will have the decorum to side with him. Although no longer reducing to a puddle, he's still pretty emotional.

"Did I mention how lucky Bow is? Did I?"

"Yes dear," George answers before handing him a treat. "Now here, have a scone."

Lance takes one. Comfort food is the best food. "Mmm. Scrumptious," he says with a sniffle.

Hoping to capitalize again on what momentum she has, Glimmer asserts herself further. "Hey! Would you guys like to see the ring I had made for him?" she asks, earning her pleasantly surprised expressions from both men. Apparently Lance can stay calm enough to let her show and tell, so she wastes little time in revealing the astonishingly crafted ring from a little box in her pocket. "I had it forged at Mysticor by their finest jewelers. The blue sapphire is for his birthstone, and the red ruby is just because red is his favorite color," she excitedly points out.

Lance again loses all control over himself, becoming a hot mess all over. This time, even George can't help but begin tearing up a little as well. "Okay, that got to me too," he says while wiping away a single tear.

Realizing that they might not be able to handle so much cuteness, she puts the ring away and bashfully docks her neck to her shoulders with a nervous grin. "I'm sorry guys."

"No, no. You don't have to apologize for us being big softies," George says, doing his best to be a man about this.

Lance isn't as concerned with such projections. "That ring… is gorgeous. It's gorgeous!"

"Thanks you guys," Glimmer blushes. Then, words just seem to come to her. Not from a place of strategy or priority, but rather just where her heart yearns for the things she truly wants. "I just… I know Bow is the one for me. He's always been there for me even when I didn't deserve him, and now that the war is over, now that things are getting better for Etheria… I want to take the next big leap in our relationship. He makes me happy."

Before Lance can start caterwauling again, George muffles him with his hand. It seems to keep him at bay for a little bit, so he focuses instead on the beautiful girl before him. A girl he couldn't be any prouder to call his future daughter-in-law. "And we know for a fact that you make him just as happy, Glimmer. He's going to be the happiest man in the world when you propose to him."

Once his hand falls from Lance's mouth, the more sensitive of the two begins weeping again. "I can't- I literally can't even! Ohohohoho!"

Finally, he's had enough of this crap. "Alright, I'm tired of hearing this big baby weep like a kinrath pup," George states before picking Lance up and carrying him in his arms. He just keeps sobbing into his shoulder, but he ignores it long enough to at least let Glimmer know how much she's appreciated. "It was so nice to have you over, Glimmer. Good luck at the ball!" he tells her before turning to make his way out of the living room.

Seeing that this is her cue to go ahead and make her own leave, Glimmer stands up and puts on a genuine smile. "Thanks so much again George. And the scones were really great, Lance," she says to him, mostly just to make him feel good about himself.

"She even likes our cooking!" he cries with joy.

"Be sure to take some home with you! They're not so bad when you reheat them!" George tells her. And with that, he averts his concentration to carrying his beloved Lance to find a woobie.

"I'll be sure to do that," Glimmer laughs with a wave goodbye. "Bye guys!"

Once they've left the room, she takes a moment to collect her thoughts and realign her chakras. She's done it. She's actually taken the next big step in asking Bow to marry her! She realized long ago that these would be the easy parts though. Aunt Casta would actually have someone's head if they messed up her niece's engagement ring, and Bow's fathers are the sweetest people on the face of Etheria. Of course they'd give her their blessing.

Now… there's the Princess' Ball. And asking Bow the big question.

She decides not to get too worked up over it right now, though. One step at a time, she thinks to herself before shifting to the now. She then takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, readying her magical energy to teleport back to her kingdom. She almost forgets about the scones, but then she decides… she's going to forget to take the scones.

There's the same flash as always when she transmits herself, and within the blink of an eye, she finds herself back in the gardens of her lovely palace home. Taking a breath of fresh summer day, she can't help but smile. She can't freeze this moment, but she can still go out and seize this day!

The very second she turns to her right to begin doing that, she feels the impact of another person careening into her, knocking her right on her keister. "Ow!"

She shakes her head to wring out the dizziness, and before she can see her, she hears Catra scolding, "Hey, watch it!"

Once she's recovered, she retorts, "Jeez Catra, watch where you're going."

"Me? You're the one who's all sparkly and teleporting and stuff!"

"And you're a giant fuzzball. So what?!"

They just stare at one another with frowning faces for a moment, then Catra eases up as she begins rising to her feet. "Eh, that one was kind of a low hanging fruit," she tells Glimmer before offering her a helping hand.

"Yeah, I couldn't really think of anything better on the spot like that," the other girl says as she rubs her tender head. Then she accepts Catra's hand to pull herself up, and they both smile at one another with good sportsmanship. Normal pleasantries are boring. Razzing one another has always been much more fun.

Now slowly coming back to normal with things, Glimmer starts to feel like she's missing something. Not those scones, heck no. But something else important. Just when she has the epiphanic recollection of what it is and how important it is though, she notices Catra noticing something.

"Ooo what's that?" she says all excitedly as she discovers a certain enchanted engagement ring lying on the freshly cut grass.

She reaches to pick it up, but Glimmer is quicker in grabbing it, nearly bumping heads with Catra again as she does. "Don't touch that!"

"Woah, easy there Peekablue. I'd hate to taint your fine jewelry," Catra snidely teases as she watches. She studies the object a little longer to see what could have her friend acting like such a chuff, discovering the red and blue gems shining in the light over the golden halo. It's a ring, and from the looks of it, it's a very special kind of ring. "Wait a second… is that what I think it is?! HUAH!" she gasps as she realizes just what kind of special ring.

Glimmer grows a little anxious as she remembers they're not the only two people in Brightmoon. "Catra-"

"Oh my gosh! Bow proposed to you?!" she excitedly asks, her eyes practically shining as her hairs stick up.

Glimmer is quick to settle her down though, "Quiet! And no, he didn't," she answers, sort of popping her feliness friend's bubble. She then has a look around, noticing a few pedestrians wandering around the gardens, all seemingly paying no mind to the queen and Catra. Just to be careful though, she decides to go somewhere a little less occupied to continue this conversation. "Come here," she instructs Catra as she takes her by the hand to lead her away.

She just plays along as Glimmer escorts her to the side of the castle all suspicious like, noticing just how neurotic she's really being about this whole thing. "You're not gonna ask me to wear that, are you?" she asks, only sort of joking.

Realizing they're safe now, Glimmer scoffs at her before smiling. "No you doof! I'm going to ask Bow to marry me at the Princess Prom!" she cheerfully reveals to her.

That makes much more sense, and Catra actually gets pretty excited over the news. "What?! Dude, that's actually awesome!" she tells her with genuine enthusiasm.

The rare display of encouragement is enough to warm Glimmer's heart. "Awww, you really mean it?"

"Heck yeah! You two are totally in love and stuff!" Catra insists. "And it's cool that you're the one popping the question. The heck with guys always getting to do the cool stuff. Girl power!"

Glimmer laughs before remembering they have to be secretive. "Okay, thanks. But can you keep it down a little? This _has_ to be a surprise!"

"Alright, I'm chill," Catra affirms with a laid back attitude. Then she takes another gander at the engagement ring in Glimmer's hand. "Sick ring by the way."

It takes her a moment for it to register that Catra is complimenting her, but she gets with the program and allows herself to get a little excited too. After all, it's nice to have one person here to gush to about her secret. And Catra's a friend. "Oh, thank you! I had it made at Mysticor. My dad did the same thing for my mom when…"

Catra is a friend, but that doesn't change some things. That past is still very real, and the weight of that becomes very heavy all of a sudden for both girls as they remember what happened to Queen Angella. It certainly sombers the mood of the conversation, and they have to look away from one another to work through these sudden sullen feelings.

One thing Catra's learned since defecting from the Horde is that true strength means taking responsibility for her mistakes, and while she's done it multiple times before, she's more than willing to do it again now if it means helping her friend feel a little better about things. "You'll never know how sorry I am about what happened to her," she finally thinks to say, working up the courage to look back to her eyes.

It takes Glimmer a moment to wrap her head around things, to remember everything she's learned about Catra since then. She's not a bad person, she knows that deep down. She remembers how George told himself 'The good outweighs the bad,' and although these circumstances are much different, she realizes that the same words are true here. That gives her the strength to suck down the pain too and instead focus on what had them so joyful before. "It- You didn't know Catra. We've talked about this," she tells her.

For a second longer, there's still palpable tension. Catra doesn't want to risk saying anything to further ruin the tone, so she just stays timidly quiet as she gives Glimmer time to think. Meanwhile, Glimmer just studies her ring for a moment, remembering everything that it signifies. Not only is it a symbol of her undying love for the man in her life, but it's also a symbol of the prosperous future ahead. Not just for herself, but for her friends and her kingdom.

So she smiles at Catra. "I don't want to worry about the past right now. I want to think about the future, and how I'm ever going to work up the nerve to actually ask Bow to marry me," she says with a nervous little laugh.

Seeing just how brave Glimmer is gives Catra the wherewithal to be brave too. "Don't worry about it, Sparkles. You're you. You'll find a way and you'll totally knock it out of the park… Like you always do," she says to her, donning her own smile with these thoughts.

Maybe she's just being nice to make her feel better, but Glimmer can see that she means what she says. Adding this to the sentimentality she's already been feeling today, and she decides now's as good a time as any. "I'm hugging you. It's happening," she says to her as she makes her way into the hug.

At first Catra keeps her hands idle to just let it happen, partly because she's surprised, and partly because she wants to be aloof. She remembers everything that Glimmer has done for her though, and while she knows she doesn't expect anything more, she decides to go ahead and give a little back anyway as she returns the hug. "Gross. Spare me," she affectionately says before she does though.

They smile at one another as they disengage, happy to remember again that the past is in the past, and that the future is brighter. Even so, there's still some cloudy skies in that direction, and Glimmer can't help but think of them as they come to mind. "Seriously though, I need you to keep this a secret. The only other people who know are Bow's dads. I don't even know if I'm going to tell _my_ dad yet," she explains to Catra.

Her natural inclination is play it cool and make a joke. "Of course you will. You'll probably tell Adora and Scorpia too," she says with a little laugh before remembering that this is supposed to actually be pretty important. So she shakes herself of that default setting to be more mindful. "Alright, jokes aside, I promise I won't say anything to anybody. It'll be our secret," she insists with a smile and a crossing of her heart.

Understanding that she can trust her, Glimmer smiles again. "Thanks Catra. I really appreciate this."

For a moment, the two girls just smile to one another over this new bond they share. As far as they know, they're the only two people in Brightmoon with a secret plan for a Princess Prom proposal. It's an exciting prospect, one they're both going to give a lot of thought to going forward. Until then though, Catra has other things to consider. Like a certain blonde haired jerk face.

"Alright, now that that sappy crap is over with, I need to find Adora," she explains before groaning. "Ugh, she's going to be so smug about it taking this long to find her."

Glimmer raises a brow as she puts her ring safely away in a little box for her pocket. "Adora? Where'd she go?"

"We're playing stupid hide and seek because of course we are," Catra furthers. "Now help me find her before she gets any more reasons to gloat."

Glimmer thinks it over for a moment with a thoughtful hum. "Hmm, I might be able to help you actually." Catra just watches her with a little confusion as she steps to the side, staring off into the distance as if she's searching for something. She does this for a few seconds before sticking the tip of her finger in her mouth to get it wet, then she holds it up in the air as if to study the wind. All it does is perplex Catra and make her feel as if Adora's dumbness has rubbed off on her, but eventually Glimmer smiles with an "Aha!... Alright, I know where she is. Hold tight."

Before she can protest, Glimmer grabs Catra by the arm to teleport the two of them to… her own bedroom, apparently. It takes Catra a moment to convalesce afterwards; she still hasn't gotten used to the whole teleporting stuff. She's able to shake herself though and join Glimmer in watching three certain individuals make asses of themselves.

There's Bow and Micah both carrying Melog, whose taken a humanoid shape, like they're a head cheerleader. For some reason Melog is trying to reach Glimmer's suspended bed, and the three goons are too occupied to notice they have company now. At least until Bow notices his girlfriend and their best friend standing next to her.

He actually gulps. "Heeeey Glimmer!" he says, trying to play it cool. Then the other two look to the queen and Catra, who just meet them with an awkward smile and a confused expression.

"Hey babe!" Glimmer greets with a little wave, both happy to see him and a little confused herself.

Realizing that it's very important to act as if nothing remarkable is happening at all, Micah and Bow just look to one another before the younger man decides to both stall _and_ be kind to his beloved. "You look especially shiny today!"

Catra rolls her eyes, but Glimmer bashfully grins. "Oh, thank you!"

Before things can get too awkward, Micah decides to go ahead and also greet his daughter. "Hey Glimmer."

"Hey dad!" she simply says, still feeling kind of awkward anyway.

Bow nervously smiles as a thought comes to him. "It's funny, we were just wondering where you two were at!" he shares, earning a little nod from Catra.

"Mhm, sure. Sure."

"We were just off taking care of some- uh… Queen stuff!" Glimmer tells them, not really lying.

"Oh yeah, super important Queen stuff," Catra plays along.

Bow and Micah again exchange a troubled glance as they do their best to keep Melog balanced. They might still be able to pull this off though, so the latter takes advantage of that. "And how'd that go, babygirl?"

"Totally boring, you wouldn't want to hear about it," Glimmer answers before clamming up again.

Silence falls over the room. Bow looks to Glimmer, Glimmer looks to Micah, Micah looks to Catra, Catra looks to Melog. Melog just looks back with the most doe eyed expression Catra's ever seen from them.

Finally, she decides to address the elephant in the room and rid them all of this weirdness. "So, what exactly are you guys doing?"

The boys just blink a few times before dumbly trying to come up with mouth words to say. "Uhhhh…" Bow just mutters, working every cell in his brain to try and come up with the smoothest recovery in the history of smooth recoveries.

Micah understands time is of the essence though. So he throws caution to the wind, using his best judgment to come up with an answer. "We… are definitely not making a human pyramid to help Adora hide in Glimmer's bed."

Bow nearly breaks a sweat upon hearing this, doing his best to keep a front just in case the girls could somehow be gullible enough to believe that. Melog isn't anywhere near as faithful as they don a very unenthused glower over Micah's ignorance.

The girls just smirk to one another as they realize what's going on, and they decide to have some fun at the boys' expense. "Ah. So you're not making a human pyramid to help Adora hide in my bed," Glimmer questions.

"Nope. That's definitely not what's happening," Bow tries to defend, but the girls just keep smiling.

"Okay. Because it looks _exactly_ like that's what's going on," she rebuts.

Despite all odds seemingly being against them now, Micah doesn't give up hope as he and Bow share one last look at one another. In one last move of desperation, he attempts to clarify what he meant. "Okay but, we're not. That's why I specifically told you we are not… doing… the thing."

"Are you sure about that?" Catra snidely says.

Bow's almost ready to crack under pressure, but Micah does his best to attempt one last _last_ move of desperation. "Uhhh… no, you."

The girls just smile. The jig is up. They know the truth, and there's no convincing them otherwise now. As if to signify their defeat, the boys' legs finally give out on them, causing them and Melog to all tumble to the floor. The magical cat creature returns to their true form, then shakes their head to wring out the dizziness. Bow and Micah recover from the fall as well, but they're met by unenthused glowers from Melog before it decides to make its way over to the girls. At least they have some sense to them.

They just smile at the creature, and Catra gives them head scratches before looking up to the suspended bed. "Alright Adora, you can come down now."

A little blonde poof of hair slowly reveals itself from the ledge of the bed before disappearing again. "Uh, Adora's not here."

Glimmer stifles a laugh into her hand as Catra scoffs. "You literally just!-" she begins hollering before stopping herself. She just facepalms before choosing to direct her excitement in another way. "Never mind. I'll come to you."

She leaps up as high as she can, flinging herself into the bed with Adora. "Be careful! Don't break my bed," Glimmer laughs as she watches the two ladies tumble out and onto the floor.

Never one to go down without a fight, Adora tries to wrestle Catra into submission. She may have been found, but she shall get the last laugh! "It took you long enough to find me," she reminds her as she tries putting her into a hammerlock.

"Only because you had all of Brightmoon helping you," Catra quips before countering into a hold of her own. They just keep wrestling and Glimmer just keeps laughing, at least until she shifts her focus back to her two favorite guys still down on their butts. She shakes her head at just how silly everyone's being, and then she goes to help them up. She starts with her father Micah, just lending a hand to bring him to his feet. He just laughs a little nervously, then she turns to help Bow next.

As he watches her invite him to take her hand, he can't help but feel his heart begin to race. This is the woman he wants to ask to marry him at Princess Prom, the girl he spent his morning talking to Micah about and getting so worked up over. Normally he has such an easy time thinking of what to say and how to act around her. Today, he feels as if any wrong move could be the most costly.

Even so, he takes comfort in her smile, and he knows not to be a total idiot and at least take her hand for now. So he allows her to help him up, and the two of them blush at one another as they meet eyes. "Hi," is all he can think to say.

Little does he know just how similarly she feels about him right now. "Hey…"

"So…" they both say in unison, each turning away to nervously rub their arms and necks. Micah watches on feeling his own heart begin to beat a little faster, and while he kind of sort of caused Adora's hiding place to get compromised, he doesn't give up on trying to be a good dad! These two awkward teenagers are in love, and he'll do whatever he can to make sure they have the best Princess Prom ever!

"Princess Prom!" he blurts out, earning puzzled looks from Glimmer and Melog, and a frantic reaction from Bow. Adora and Catra just keep beating each other up, of course.

He notices the way Bow looks at him, and deciding that this must just be his eager face, he throws a thumbs up at him. It's almost enough to make the poor boy have an actual heart attack, but by the grace of some higher power, Glimmer actually responds fortuitously.

"Uh, yeah! That thing!" she says before meeting her beau's eyes again. This time instead of nervous energy, there's something more excitable and optimistic in her gaze. "So, obviously you and I are going together, right?" she asks, only sort of panicking inside at the slim chance he might say no.

Thankfully, he doesn't! "Totally! You know, unless you've decided to go with someone else," he nervously jokes, almost immediately regretting it.

Fortunately, Glimmer doesn't take offense, and she doesn't confess a secret love for Mermista or something. Instead, she just keeps smiling, her eyes nearly twinkling as she looks to him. "Why would I do that when you're the best date a girl could have?"

What nervous energies they were both feeling seem to dissipate with this mutual gaze they share. In each other's eyes, they know they can depend on one another to be loved. It's why he wants to marry her, and it's why she wants to marry him. And while neither of them says that now, they do decide to share a kiss to show their love.

Micah smiles on knowing what he knows, and gives Melog head scratchies as they curl up beside his leg. Even with Catra and Adora trying to kill one another, it's a beautiful scene to witness.

"I'm gonna make you eat carpet!" they all hear Adora yell at Catra as she tries smooshing her face against the floor. Catra just laughs though.

"Yeah I bet you want me to eat carpet you floosie!"

"You're gross!"

"And you're so dumb you lock yourself in a mattress store and sleep on the floor!"

"It was one time! _One time!"_

Bow and Glimmer can't help but laugh as they keep at it, and while the whole thing mostly confuses Micah, he just shrugs as Melog looks up to him.

Finally Catra is able to get out of Adora's clutch to turn herself over, and for a moment they meet eyes to rest. Now is as good a time as any to ask, Adora thinks to herself. "So hey, after I kick your butt do you wanna go to Princess Prom with me?"

Catra pants a little before answering. "As long as I don't have to wear shoes, sure."

With her proposal accepted, they go right back to wrestling, and Bow and Glimmer go right back to laughing. While it's all so much for Micah to wrap his head around, he does know one thing for certain. This will be a very interesting All Princess' Ball.

* * *

**I had a lot of fun with this one, true believers. I'm obsessed with the dynamics between all of the characters in this show, especially the main four of the best friend squad. So this definitely won't be the last we see of them in this story. We have to see how Bow and Glimmer's plans to propose go, after all!**

**Oh, about the Angella, Catra, Glimmer angst. I feel like that's one thing that could have been mentioned in the show that got neglected, so I couldn't help but touch on it even just a little.**

**We'll be changing pace going forward with the next two or three chapters. As I said, I plan to write about every major character, so we'll shift perspectives starting next time. I'm definitely excited to show off what I have planned for everyone :D**

**Also in case it wasn't obvious, I interpret Melog as being genderless. So I'm not using male or female pronouns for them. Sorry if that was confusing xD**

**Other than that, I thank you guys so much for reading, as always. I hope to see you all again very soon!**


	3. The Right Name For Wrong Hordak

**The Right Name For Wrong Hordak**

It's a hot and humid day in Dryl. While there was a time before the war where more robots and machines occupied the rocky kingdom, there are now dozens upon hundreds of Horde Prime's clones that look to make lives for themselves in a new town created just for them.

Overseeing the project is none other than the princess of Dryl, Entrapta herself. With weeks of hard work and team efforts from the clones and many other of the Alliance's finest samaritans, it would seem that their new home will not only be inhabitable, but a flourishing community with forestry, agriculture, industry, and even a karaoke bar. That was Scorpia's idea.

The only thing that currently poses an issue for the denizens of Brothertown is some less than perfect tap water, something that Entrapta and her bot companion Emily work on now together. Entrapta gets her gloves dirty by soldering through one of the pipelines to get a closer look for herself at just what might be causing this issue, and Emily is nice enough to provide a cool drink, an umbrella, and a little orchestral music to make her work a little more pleasant.

She's as focused as can be, completely at peace while in her trance. That is until she hears a familiar voice suddenly and gruffly call out from behind her, "Entrapta!"

"WAH!" she screams, flinging her tools around in a fright. She quickly turns to see that it's Hordak, and in a way that's all too ironic, Emily's music plays a dark and brooding chord progression as he hovers over with his usual dark and brooding expression. The bot can't help but be a little frightened, and then he finally speaks again.

"Have you seen my hexagonal drill bit?" he asks with a completely normal, deadpan tone.

Entrapta gestures Emily to turn her music off, then grasps her chest to catch a breath. "Don't sneak up on me like that. You scared the bit out of me," she cusses before turning to start digging through her toolbox.

"I apologize," Hordak simply tells her with seldom seen remorse. Ever since aiding in Horde Prime's defeat, life has been so different for him. Yes, people still fear him, but it doesn't make him as happy as it used to. Instead of welcoming the challenging looks from people like Adora and Frosta, it makes him uncomfortable, like they're inconveniencing him. Worse yet, he feels like it all inconveniences Entrapta. The one person he knows now he would do anything for.

Although the idea of ruling- or, _leading_ the remaining clones in this new community was admittingly enticing, it was the promise of helping Entrapta do it all that really made him buy into this idea of being a man of peace and prosperity. No one's ever made him feel the things she makes him feel. He never cared at all for the way _tiny foods_ look or taste, he didn't embrace his so-called imperfections. He certainly never paid mind to the well being of others, but then this princess came along and changed all the answers to the questions he had.

Watching her scrabble through her toolbox to find his drill bit reminds him of all these things, and he can't help but feel his heart flutter a little faster. For whatever reason, he finds this silence to be rather disturbing. They should communicate about something. _Anything._ Eventually, he thinks of something to ask her. "How… how are you faring today?"

It makes him feel rather inadequate when she pretty much disregards his question. "What? Oh, I'm okay I guess," she answers before getting right back to business. "I can't seem to find your bit in my toolbox. I can't remember if I used it or not, actually. I suppose I could check my recordings," she considers as she shifts her focus from scrounging through the toolbox to instead digging through a bag.

At this point, he doesn't care nearly as much about the bit as he does just having some Prime forsaken conversation. "It's fine. Do not trouble yourself," he tries to tell her, but she just keeps searching for the tape recorder. He knows Entrapta enough to know that when she gets fixated on an idea that it is best to let her work through it without interruptions, so he just stays quiet while meeting the gaze of Emily's red sensor light. He doesn't know what this awkward feeling is he's experiencing, but he knows he doesn't like it. Even so, he's put up with worse for Entrapta. This is no big deal.

Despite her curiosity over the location of the drill bit, Entrapta's curiosity takes a step further. She likes hearing about Hordak's projects. "What exactly are you working on, anyway?" she asks him while continuing her search through her work bag's many pockets and zippers.

Her asking him actually brings Hordak some satisfaction. "I'm working on a new apparatus for my blast cannon. I want to be able to attach a mining drill to it so that I may assist my brothers in their advancements on the field," he proudly explains, earning him a wide smile from Entrapta.

"Awww! You're learning to be a good friend!" she happily cries.

He just groans, burying down this- this _embarrassment_ it makes him feel. Why? Because as much as he could be resentful of displaying any vulnerability, he'd rather just show Entrapta her projects interest him as well. "And what are you working on today?" he asks her, almost bashfully.

She just keeps smiling as she answers his thoughtful question. "I'm trying to see what's wrong with the irrigation lines. Some of the clones are complaining about the water not being clean."

"How beguiling," Hordak unenthusiastically comments.

Entrapta raises a brow. "What? No? That's- that's actually really bad."

"I was speaking sarcastically," he clarifies, and she dons a look of surprise.

"Ohhh! I'm sorry, I'm not used to you joking around."

"Believe it or not, I am capable of having a sense of humor," he asserts before fondly remembering an example. "Like- like this one day I told one of the cadets they had no parents just to mess with them. He proceeded to cry like an infant, and then I-"

"Wait! I remember now!" Entrapta excitedly interrupts.

"Oh, did I tell this story?" Hordak asks, a little disappointed.

"No but it sounds awful," she bluntly admits, but before he can scowl too much at her statement, he's given more reason to be distraught with her real revelation. "Your drill bit is with Wrong Hordak!"

Just hearing that blasphemous name makes his heart sink and his head hurt a little. "Please tell me you're joking," he curtly says.

"Nope. I don't really make jokes. But sometimes Emily will tell them! Isn't that right, Emily?" The bot just beeps and boops a few times in a manner that Hordak has no way of understanding, but apparently she said something pretty funny, because Entrapta gets a good laugh out of it. "AHAHA! I get it!" she cries for a few seconds before stoically telling him, "But yeah your bit is with him."

Although Hordak hates just about everyone, he has a special disdain for his especially eccentric brother. "Blast! I really need it too," he curses.

His reaction puzzles Entrapta. "What's the big deal? Just go ask him if you can have it back."

As usual, the only thing that keeps him from growing too excitable is his compassion for his only friend. So instead of hollering and getting angry, Hordak just takes a calming breath before answering with as much composure as he can carry. "Let me put this delicately. Wrong Hordak and I are on different wavelengths. I try not to engage in conversation with him unless it's absolutely necessary."

Still, she doesn't fully understand. "Well it sounds like this is necessary. Which works out great because here he comes!" she points out with a grin.

Hearing those words sends a jolt to his chest, and sure enough, he turns around to see that Wrong blastin' Hordak is on his way wearing his usual revoltingly cheerful smile. "Ah bit..." he cusses under his breath as the clone arrives.

"Brother! it is an honor to be in the presence of such highly exalted companions!" he happily greets. His tone makes Hordak visualize blasting his head off with a cannon, then doing the same to himself. But he plays nice for the sake of Entrapta...

"Oh hi Wrong Hordak!" she gladly greets back with a wave. She notices the way Hordak keeps being a sourpuss though, and she stares at him with contempt to coerce him into being nicer. Could this day get any worse?

He knows her heart is right though, so he heavily sighs as he decides to try and just get this over with as soon as possible. "Hello… brother…" he tells him, doing his best to keep his hatred from seething through his teeth.

It wouldn't matter if it did or not, Wrong Hordak would be as happy as a lark either way. "Is this not a glorious day? Earlier I was stung by a bee, and it reminded me about the fateful certainty that our lives could perish at any given moment!" he happily shares before sighing with relief. "It is best to make the most of every beautiful second we are given."

It all makes Hordak actually begin to develop a migraine. As he rubs the bridge of his nose bone, Entrapta just stares at him, smiling a smile that shows she's waiting for him to do more, _even more_ to be a good brother! As if he hasn't suffered enough!

It's all for her though, and the sooner he gets this crap over with, the sooner he can go sit in a dark room for a few hours and just lull. So he thinks it over before deducing what she really wants from him, and it doesn't take him long to remember what seemingly chained together this series of unfortuitous events.

He looks to Wrong Hordak, enduring his painfully cheery grinning to compose his question. "Wrong-" he starts before stopping himself. Of all the things he hates most about Wrong Hordak, his name bothers him most. So he starts over, refusing to even speak it. "Brother… Entrapta has informed me that you were last in possession of one of my tools. A hexagonal drill bit, to be exact."

His eyes widen with glee. "Ah yes! I do know this bit you speak of!"

Well, at least something good might come of this. "Excellent. I would gladly ask it be returned to me."

"I would love to, brother!" Wrong Hordak happily ensures him. "But I can't. I lost it."

The one tool he needs is the one tool this _buffoon_ would lose! Of course! Why else would the universe share any kindness with him?! It's almost enough to make him snap like a twig, but he's able to remain somewhat calm as he settles for allowing himself to show just a _little_ anger. "Ugh, this is why I don't like other people using my tools, Entrapta!"

As brave as she gets with him sometimes, she knows not to push her luck. This is one of those instances, so she just puts her helmet down to avert his eyes for a little bit.

Wrong Hordak isn't as privy to this nuance though, so he can't help but try to be more helpful. "I do apologize for misplacing your drill bit, exalted brother. However, should you require any further assistance, I would be more than happy to lend any aid you might require! After all, we are brothers!" he promises with a hearty grin.

Entrapta raises her face-shield to look to Hordak. She can see that he's becoming increasingly frustrated, almost in the same way he would over shortcomings they would encounter back with the portal. If his scrunching frown is any indication, he's about to start yelling or breaking things, and poor Wrong Hordak has to take the butt of it simply for being himself. It disappoints her, but it also scares her, so she just closes her eyes and anxiously awaits whatever violence might ensue.

A couple seconds pass, but nothing happens. Curiously she opens one eye to see if maybe he silently murdered him somehow, but no, Wrong Hordak is still standing, still smiling. She braves open the other eye as she turns again to Hordak, who finishes sucking in a very deep breath before slowly exhaling. Where there seemed to be firing rage before, there now seems to be a sense of defeat. With it though, there's a strange optimism she's never seen from him.

He's tried getting angry. However, he's learned more than one thing since befriending Entrapta, one of which is that… sometimes staying calm and taking a new approach towards improvements is the best course of action. Realizing that he's stuck with Wrong Hordak, he decides to at least give it a try. "Wrong Hordak; I think you and I should discuss some things about the color of your character."

It baffles Entrapta, but she simply watches on with pleasant surprise as Wrong Hordak raises a brow. "Oh? What kind of things?"

Hordak winces. "Well, actually, let's start with your name. _I_ am Hordak. It is a name I gave to myself in order to distinguish who I am amongst the rest of our brothers. It allows me to be truly recognized for my accomplishments as an individual," he explains, doing his best to bury down any resentment and instead accentuate constructive cues. Wrong Hordak doesn't make it easy with his annoyingly chipper disposition, but he remains patient with him. Just like Entrapta has done for him more than once.

"And you have every right to be very proud of your deeds! Just as I am proud to claim the name Wrong Hordak in your honor!" the other clone decrees, but his glad tidings are not returned. Instead, Hordak shakes his head before starting over.

"No, no. You're missing the point. The reason I gave myself a name was to be my own person! To give my enemies a name to tremble at when they know just what I am capable of!" he gruffly proclaims. Entrapta clears her throat as a manner of scoffing though, and he remembers he's not supposed to be evil anymore. "And… and so that my friends know what to call me…"

She smiles at that.

Wrong Hordak isn't sure how to respond though as he thoughtfully rubs his chin. "I'm afraid I am not following."

Seeing that such a fascinating change of pace from Hordak was enough to make her excited, but now that she sees his brother so perplexed, she can't help but share her own hypothesis regarding the situation. "I think what Hordak is trying to suggest is that we give you a new name. Something better than 'Wrong Hordak.'"

"Correct, Entrapta!" he encouragingly chimes in, making her blush with pride. Then he elaborates. "And something that's your own! Not something that is already mine, you see?"

He thinks it over hard, trying to make sense of all this new information that is being fed to him. When he did something wrong under Horde Prime, he would simply be taken to the cleansing pool and be reconditioned. Things are much more complex now. He knows he's made mistakes, but with his beloved brother and sister both smiling at him, he feels as if they're trying to help him.

"I… You're right!" he expresses, earning pleased looks from Hordak and Entrapta. They stay silent as they allow him to finish drawing his conclusion though. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention brother and sister! Now that we clones are no longer restrained by the tyranny of Horde Prime, we should be free to express ourselves as individuals to our fullest capabilities!"

"Exactly!" Hordak happily agrees.

It warms Wrong Hordak's heart to know that he has such caring friends, and to also know that he can make himself an even better clone than he was this morning! Such motivation, such inspiration… it's invigorating! "Well then, I will give myself a new name! One to terrorize my enemies and give my friends something to call me! Though, come to think of it, I don't actually have any enemies."

"And that's good. Having enemies is bad," Entrapta is sure to remind him. Hordak nervously rubs his arm a little over that, but hey, one step at a time with this whole being a good guy thing.

Meanwhile, the clone soon to be formerly known as Wrong Hordak makes his epiphanic first step towards the next chapter of his life as he decides what he would like to be called. "I've got it!" he chirps, and the others watch on with great anticipation as he proudly announces, "From this day forward, I shall be known as… Right Hordak!"

The only reaction he gets are looks of indifference, almost like he was joking and the punchline didn't connect. This is Wrong Hordak though, he couldn't tell a joke even if he wanted to. Hordak realizes this, and it's back to square one. "N-No? No, no, no, no, no! I am Hordak. You cannot call yourself Hordak," he explains once more.

Wrong Hordak just keeps smiling though. "But- I'll be _Right_ Hordak," he tells his brother with a wink.

Hordak groans, and he looks to Entrapta to see how she's responding to all of this. At this point, they both seem to be on the same page at least. They want to help Wrong Hordak, but they just have to be patient with his misunderstandings. If not for her, it wouldn't be so easy for the former Horde leader, but he keeps her and his own sanity in mind as he tries again. "I am already the right Hordak. There is no need for another Hordak. Please consider something else."

It's a little disappointing for Wrong Hordak, because he thought he made a pretty cool name. It's nothing to be too ashamed of though, not with such caring exalted siblings. So he just wracks his brain a little further, eventually deciding on something else as he looks back and forth between his brother and sister. "Uhm, alright then… Let's see…" It's her smile and thumbs up that help him decide. "Entrapta!"

Her smile belatedly wanes before she dons a look of confusion. "You what, mate?"

Hordak becomes similarly perplexed. "Entrapta?"

"Yes! I will title myself Entrapta! I can honor you by carrying your namesake!" Wrong Hordak happily claims.

"I'm okay with that!" Entrapta joyfully agrees, but Hordak is quick to shut the festivities down.

"No! He needs his own name to be his own person!"

"I like my name," Entrapta pouts a little, and Wrong Hordak backs her up.

"I like your name too!"

Seeing that more steps are being taken backward than forward, Hordak again does his best to be patient with his friends. "Yes, we can all agree that Entrapta is a great name! But it is already _Entrapta's_ name. Just as Hordak is _my_ name. You need to make your _own_ name. Understand?"

The other clone really thinks it over for a second, the cogs really turning in his brain. Before too long, he comes up with another suggestion, one that neither Hordak or Entrapta have already claimed. "Horde Prime?"

Hordak just has to groan as he facepalms, and Entrapta decides now is as good a time as any to start adding her own two cents. "For what it's worth I think Wrong Hordak is a fine name. I mean, we've been calling him that for a few weeks now and it's stuck," she explains.

"Wrong Hordak is a terrible name! Why did you even name him that?" Hordak barks, losing some chill with the princess.

She doesn't take it to heart though. "To be completely honest I just didn't know what else to call him. Emily and Darla are the only other names I like besides mine and yours and well, he just can't have of those apparently," she furthers. Before Hordak can form any rebuttal though, Wrong Hordak puts on another grin as he raises his finger.

"Okay! Wait! I think I've got one!" he shares before animatedly announcing it. "He-Man!"

He keeps smiling at them and hoping that the awesomeness of the new name is just taking some time to process for the two of them, but they make it clear very soon how the name really makes them feel.

"N-No. That- That one's-" Hordak stammers.

"It's really bad," Entrapta finishes for him.

"Yeah it's pretty stupid."

The two nod their heads with shared affirmation. It makes poor Wrong Hordak deflate his posture, his will being tested by something as trivial as what to call himself. "This is very difficult," he bemoans. His spirits are somewhat lifted by the surprising comfort of his brother's hand though.

"Well brother, perhaps we could discuss it further as we search for that drill bit together," he tells him with a soft smile. The unheard of kind gesture on his part warms Entrapta's heart to the brim, and she can't help but smile the blushiest smile at him. He just smiles back before returning his attention to his brother, who really isn't so bad.

"You really mean it?" Wrong Hordak asks with a little sniffle.

"I do. And I am not just looking for an excuse to walk away because Scorpia and Perfuma are making their way over," Hordak explains.

Entrapta looks around, and sure enough, the two other princesses are making their way over with a picnic basket in tow. Their faces are just as bright and smiley as ever, and it makes Entrapta feel even fuzzier to know that two of her other best friends will be joining them. Then she remembers what Hordak said just now, and how he said it, and how he starts walking away while patting Wrong Hordak's back. "Oh I get it! That's sarcasm!" she excitedly realizes.

Hordak just grins. "Walking away now…"

His brother turns to meet her with extra enthusiasm for his departure though. "Farewell Entrapta! And farewell Emily!" he says with a wave before exuberantly turning back to Hordak. "I could call myself Emily! Oh, wait, that's taken."

Entrapta just shakes her head with a grin on her face. The grin only grows wider as her good friends Scorpia and Perfuma draw near, and she can't help but shake her fists with excitement as her former Super Pal Trio cohort opens her arms to give great hugs.

"Entrapta! Emily!" she greets to both her friends.

"Scorpia!" Entrapta cheers as she meets her to return a hug. They hold on tightly for a few seconds, and Perfuma just laughs into her hand while Emily beeps with enthusiasm. Scorpia is sure not to forget her, she gives her a hug too after letting go of Entrapta.

With her great scorpion hugs out of the way, she turns her attention to the picnic basket that Perfuma carries with her. "I brought you guys a little something. Emphasis on 'little,'" she snickers as she lifts the lid with her pincer to reveal some very small bottles of lemonade.

"Tiny lemonades!" Entrapta joyfully cries. She grabs them up with her hair to quickly get herself a swig of one of the cool, refreshing drinks, then offers one to Emily. Of course she has no idea what to do with the sugary yellow fluid, but she don't mind. She's just happy to see her friends happy, especially Entrapta. "Oh Scorpia, you're the best!" she tells Scorpia with another hug, one that she reciprocates with some little back pats.

"I've missed you guys," she tells them with a warm smile before looking to Perfuma. The princess of Plumeria just giggles at the adorable scene unfolding before her, and she can't help but blush as disengages from Entrapta to clear her throat.

The purple haired princess grows a little embarrassed herself for getting so carried away. "Where are my manners? It's great to see you too, Perfuma!" she tells her with a smile, a smile that's returned with quaint laughter.

"The pleasure is all mine! I'm excited to see what you ladies and the clones have done to liven up the town!"

"Oh it's going swimmingly! We've got a fitness center with air conditioning, numerous shops and restaurants, and it might interest you to know that our garden center is just _flourishing!"_ Entrapta proudly states before remembering the pipeline she started working on. "The only thing that needs a little work is the water. Which is what I was doing right as you two showed up!"

"It sounds like you guys have all been really busy," Perfuma chuckles.

"Some things never change," Entrapta says with a laugh, and the other two join in for a little while before sighing with relief. It's nice for things to be so nice. Entrapta takes pride in the knowledge that she's gotten much better at communicating with others though, and she does her best to be a good friend by exchanging more glad tidings. "Uh… enough about me though! What's new with everyone else?" she asks with genuine curiosity.

Scorpia decides to answer on their behalf. "Well we're mostly all just preparing for Princess Prom," she explains with a smirk, earning her flustered expressions from both Entrapta and Perfuma. The latter mostly just clams up as nervous energies begin to take over her, but Entrapta is a lot less subtle.

"Ah bit! I forgot all about that!" she curses. Such a guttermouth today. "When is it again?"

"It's this weekend. But don't worry, I'm sure you and Hordak will have plenty of time to get ready before then," Scorpia answers all cool like, but Perfuma just keeps anxiously still while Entrapta grows even more flustered.

"Me and Hordak?!"

"Well yeah! Who else would you go with?" Scorpia questions like she's just hearing a goof.

It's no goof though. Until this very moment, Entrapta hadn't even considered the Princess Prom. There's so many other things to do and work on. The poopy water, setting up karaoke night, helping Wrong Hordak find the right name, and now this?! At least tech just stays the same. People on the other hand just love overwhelming themselves with so much stuff to do!

As she travels along her mental crossroads, Scorpia notices just how shaky her other friend is. She's never like this. "What's the matter Perfuma? Did you forget about the ball too?" she asks with an eyebrow raise.

Just the very thought of Scorpia asking her about the Princess Prom makes her as nervous as long tailed Catra in a room full of rocking chairs. On one hand, it's all she's thought about for the last few days; the two of them getting all gussied up and walking hand in hand together into the ballroom of the Castle of Snows, losing themselves in a slow dance song as the rest of the world ceases to exist around them. On the other hand, it's just so scary to think that she might mess up their friendship by trying to ask more from her. "Uh, no. No! Heh heh, I definitely remembered," she stammers.

Scorpia just smiles at her though. Those beautiful grey eyes look down to her with her always endearing gaze, and in them, Perfuma remembers everything she loves about this big, beautiful rose. She needs to be brave, she needs to push down all of her doubts and insecurities. Just like Scropia would...

So she does her best to control her steadily rising heart rate as she musters a smile of her own. The sooner she does this, the sooner she gets this off her chest. And if all goes well, she doesn't have to wait to make her dreams a reality anymore… "I actually wanted to ask you about that," she begins.

But before she can get very far, Scorpia becomes too dang excited to curb her own enthusiasm. "Well, since you ask, I've just been dying to tell someone about my plan," she says.

So much for bravery. "Plan?" Perfuma responds with doe eyes as her spirits are sincerely humbled.

Entrapta just becomes more curious than anything. Plans are always cool. "Yeah, what plan?"

Scorpia shines like the moon as she giddily presses forward. "Oh, you're gonna love it!" she exclaims before having a good look around in all directions to make sure no one is eavesdropping. Once she's sure it's just the four of them, she huddles everyone in close, including Emily, to tell them her super secret secret. "I'm going to ask Catra to go with me!"

"Catra?!" Perfuma parrots with shock in her voice.

Entrapta does the same, but with a lot more vigor. "Catra?! Ahhhh!"

"I know, I know! I'm so excited!" Scorpia continues while shaking her pincers. "I'm gonna ask her later today when I see her. It is easily the most nervous I've been about anything ever, but Catra is my best friend! She's worth the potential anxiety attacks!"

While she and Entrapta hoot, holler, and hooray over the news, Perfuma just does her best not to succumb to the urge to lay down on the hot ground to just wilt and die. How could this be? After all this time, Scorpia still sees Catra as her best friend? Has she not been there for her to help her become accepted by the other princesses? Has she not been more than welcoming with her gifts of herbal teas and scented therapy candles? And what about all the long, personal discussions they've had about the delicacy of even the sharpest thorns?

Apparently, they haven't been enough. Scorpia wants to go to the ball with Catra, not her… As painful as it is, though, she just wants to see her happy. If that means swallowing the bitter pill of being just another friend of Scorpia's and nothing more, then she'll do it. Even if it hurts.

Even so, there is one potential problem that she can't help but ponder on. "Well, I support your decision Scorpia, but I have to ask. Where does Adora fit into all of this?"

She presumed this would be a bombshell of overlooked information. However, both other princesses just meet her with more puzzlement than anything. Heck, even Emily seems to understand more than they do what kind of compromising position Scorpia might place everyone in.

"Adora? What does she have to do with anything? It's not always about Adora," Scropia says with a little laughter.

So beautiful, yet so naive sometimes. It hurts Perfuma more by the second just to soldier through this conversation. "That's not what I'm getting at. She's Catra's girlfriend, remember?" she reminds her, hoping this will be obvious enough to paint the picture of depressing reality.

She and Entrapta just blink at her with failure of understanding though, and Emily slaps her optic module with her leg as if to facepalm. "I might be hazy from all this poo water I've been having to deal with, but what exactly does that have to do with Scorpia asking Catra to the ball?"

Her heartache makes it difficult not to blow a fuse over all this misunderstanding, but Perfuma just troopers through it to try and be as clear as possible. "There's a good possibility that Catra's going to go with Adora," she pragmatically states, only a little salt shaking through her words.

Finally it would seem she gets her point across as Scorpia dons a look of understanding. "Oh! Yeah you have a good point," she admits before taking a second to think it over. Perfuma feels this conflicting sense of guilty hope that she might still somehow have a chance of making her Princess Prom dream come true as she watches Scorpia weigh her options, likely considering that she may just have to cancel her plan to ask Catra out. However, her little glimmer of hope is snuffed out when the shelled Princess puts on a new smile. "You know what, I'm sure she'll understand. There's nothing wrong with a woman in a committed relationship going to a royal ball with one of her besties!"

"I see no flaws in her logic!" Entrapta agrees, and with that, Perfuma feels the last petal fall from her flower of forlorn hope. It's for the best though. She realizes that as the other two cheer on. Her own selfish desires aren't comparable to Scorpia's happiness, and she takes what solace she can in that as she forces a smile of her own. "Right… Well, I hope it goes well for you Scorpia. You deserve to have a great time," she says to her. And she means it. She really does. Even if it hurts to have her own dream crushed.

In a way all too bittersweet, she's reminded just what made her fall for Scorpia as she meets her with a warm smile. "Thanks Perfuma. You're always so nice to me!" she tells her before wrapping her arms around her for a quick hug. Part of it fills her heart to the very brim with affection, but another part just adds to her sense of sadness and defeat. She just wears a weak smile though, using her picnic basket as an excuse not to hug back before Scorpia finally frees her.

Just when she thinks she's finally free to escape into her feelings of internal sadness, she hears Emily beeping and booping. No one says anything to the robot though, and her curiosity bests her as she looks to Scorpia, then Entrapta, then Emily. All of whom seem confused like her. The longer she looks to Emily though, the more she sees what the robot is actually conveying with this… look, if it could be called that.

"Is she- is she talking to me?"

Finally there's some clarity to the awkwardness. "Oh! Sorry, I forget that not everyone speaks bot," Entrapta laughs before playing translator. "Emily was asking who you plan on going to the ball with."

The world just can't get enough of torturing her today, it would seem. It's hard enough to keep feeling these icky negative chakras knowing that she can't ask Scorpia out now, but she keeps smiling to her and looking at her with those gorgeous grey eyes. Why did she have to develop a crush on the nicest person on earth?

There's a moment of consideration. She could take a risk and tell her her true feelings. She could ignore Scorpia's plans for the sake of her own, possibly reaping the sweetest reward in the form of an unforgettable evening at Princess Prom. She knows better though. There's also the chance that it could just backfire, that Scorpia wouldn't return her unrequited love. This hurts enough, she couldn't bear that pain.

So she sucks in a heavy breath through her nose as she decides to lie. It isn't what she wants to do, but she cares enough about Scorpia to let her have this.

If only she could be a better liar though. It's pretty tough to come up with a feasible falsehood to Emily's question when everyone is staring at her all nice like, none of them understanding what she's really going through. But she needs to think of something quick to avoid suspicion, and just like every rose has its thorn, every night has its dawn. In this case, her dawn is pretty foggy, because looking down at the cliffside, she decides to just say the name of the person she sees merrily walking along through the grass.

"I- Uh… Wrong Hordak?"

She feels _very_ stupid and very flustered as Scorpia and Entrapta change their eager smiles into skeptical eyebrow raises. They both look to one another, then back to Perfuma before the former decides to be the bearer of bad news.

"You're joking right?" Scorpia asks. It's hard for Perfuma to decide what's worse; having to lie about her true feelings, or making them think she might actually be interested in Wrong Hordak. There's no going back now though, so she just grits her teeth and lets the other princess speak up while she thinks of any way out of this humiliating experience.

"Yeah Perfuma, he's a nice guy but he'd make a crummy date," Entrapta bluntly states before they go back to staring. She hates being put on the spot like this, but Perfuma is left with no choice but to play with the cards she's given now. Only by some divine intervention does she have an epiphanic idea to possibly save herself from this embarrassment, and while she knows it's a longshot, she knows two things. One, she can't get much lower than this, and two… she can't tell the truth. She just can't.

So she fakes a smile and a laugh. "I got you guys! Yup! It was totally a joke!" she tells them, then she just waits to see what kind of heck the world will throw her way next. Judging from the princesses' expressions, they're not buying it. They either know she's a fat liar for saying she was into Wrong Hordak, or they think she's a liar for lying about not being into him. Either way, she just wants to spontaneously combust.

However, in a turn of events seemingly unbelievable to her at this junction, the girls smile before joining together in hearty laughter. "Oh man! You really had me going there for a minute!" Scorpia says before bringing Perfuma in for another side hug. Somehow, she pulled it off. It took all the magic in Etheria probably to make it work, but they at least don't think she's into Wrong Hordak.

Now if only that same magic would help heal her breaking heart. "Yup… Just a joke…" she weakly joins in before Scorpia lets her go to finish laughing it up with Entrapta.

At this point, Perfuma realizes she needs to be alone for a little bit. There's too much pain in her heart to bear, and if she stays around Scorpia too long, her secret will be set free and ruin everything for everybody. She refuses to let that happen though, so she decides to take this window of opportunity to leave while she can. "Well, I brought some plants and produce to help everyone out a little. I should probably take them down now," she wearily tells her friends, failing to make eye contact with them.

In a way that hurts just as much as it relieves her, they fail to see through her mask. Instead, they just smile as Scorpia tells her, "Alright, I'll catch up in a little bit!"

With that, she has her escape. Sure, she could change her mind now and speak the truth. She could tell Scorpia she wants to be the girl she dreams of going to prom with instead of Catra, and that she wants that night and every night after to be magical between them. But this isn't about her, it never was. So instead, she does her best not to cry or show weakness as she waves farewell to her friends, walking away with a heavy heart as they wave goodbye too.

Scorpia and Entrapta are none the wiser as she eventually turns into a spec in the distance, and they turn their attention to one another as the scorpion princess sighs contently. "She's great, ya know? We've really bonded since I joined the alliance," she says of Perfuma before fully shifting her attention to something else entirely. "So hey, are we still on for puzzle night next week?"

Entrapta is just as happy to focus on puzzles. "Oh absolutely. I already have one picked out. It's a 1000 piece Fizzy Drinks edition!"

"Yay!" Scorpia cheers, making a certain clone of Horde Prime cringe as he makes his return to the hillside. He wears his usually sour glower as he approaches with a little hesitation, but he decides enduring the presence of Scorpia is fine if it means he can spend a little more time with his friend Entrapta.

Entrapta notices him coming, and cheerfully greets him with a wave of both hand and hair. "Oh hey Hordak! Did you find your drill bit?" she asks.

He sighs to alleviate himself of the tiredness this day has given him. "No. Wrong Hordak insisted on giving himself an hour to, 'count his blessings,' and I have much more important things to tend to," he explains before meeting Scorpia's gaze. Things have been pretty awkward between himself and the princesses since the fall of Horde Prime, but at least it's a little easier to make nice with his former force captain. So he tries to be… a 'good guy,' and greets her politely. "Hello Scorpia."

Seeing the true intent of his gesture, she just smiles a little and nods. "Hey boss."

Awkward silence falls over them. Yes, Entrapta is great friends with Hordak, and she's also great friends with Scorpia. But considering they aren't great friends, she doesn't know what to talk about, and neither do the two of them. And Emily doesn't even know how lemonade works still, so she just stays quiet before Hordak decides that this is going nowhere very fast.

"I should probably go… do stuff," he tells them, earning understanding nods from the princesses. Apparently that's all that needs to be said, so he just turns around and goes right back the way he came.

Until Entrapta remembers something kind of important.

"Oh hey, we're going to Princess Prom together, right?"

"WHAT?!"

* * *

**Hey there true believers. Believers of truth. I hope you all enjoyed the read, as always.**

**Next time on Princess Prom Z we'll check in with my favorite fictional human to ever be created as Sea Hawk goes on a FIRST DATE ADVENCHA with his dearest Mermista, so I can't wait to share that. However, my updating schedule might slow down just a little going forward for a few reasons. One, I'm starting a new job. Two, I have The Book of Azula to eventually return to, and some other projects I'm considering starting. Some people can focus on finishing one thing at a time. I am not one of those people.**

**Regardless, this story is my main priority right now in terms of writing, so I hope you guys stay tuned for the inevitable continuation. Thanks as always for reading, and always remember that if Wrong Hordak can get a date, so can you.**


	4. First Date ADVENCHA

**First Date ADVENCHA**

On the coast of Salineas, there's a quaint little cliffside that offers an eagle eye view of the beautiful blue sea. Flowers and trees of every sort bloom vibrantly along the grass, seagulls soar over the waters and into the violet sky. While most people associate the magic of Etheria with runestones and sorcery, Mermista and Sea Hawk are reminded that some of the most enchanting magic comes from the simpler things in life like an oceanside view.

Not much has been said since arriving at the cliffside. Mermista has just admired the view while being held in the arms of her new boyfriend, resting her head on his shoulder as he studies the surroundings just the same. It's quiet and relaxing, two things that aren't often (well, ever, really), associated with Sea Hawk.

She looks up to him to see his face. She can't help but wonder how his moustache is so naturally shiny, but she also can't help but wonder how he's really feeling as his eyes gaze out to the waters. Normally he makes his mood obvious with singing and showboating. Right now though, he just stays quiet as he looks forward.

"This is… nice," she finally says to break the silence, looking back out to the steadily tiding waters as they wave along.

The tranquility she felt is abruptly shaken by a sudden jolt from her beau as he excitedly asks, "Really?!" but he quickly settles down to return to peaceful form. "I mean- Yes. Yes it is."

Now she can't help but grow a little suspicious at his behavior, and she just has to say something. "Is everything alright?"

He meets her with legitimate surprise. "What? Of course! Why wouldn't it be?"

From the tone of his voice she can tell that he's not hiding anything. Like Adora, he's not a very good liar, at least not when he's put on the spot. So she ebbs on her suspicion a little as she nuzzles back into his broad shoulder. "I dunno. I guess I'm just not used to you being like, this chill," she explains.

Sea Hawk just smiles though. "What are you talking about? I am as chill as every autumn breeeeeeze," he sings near the end. Some things never change, and this earns him a little laugh from his date.

"Alright. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm all for relaxing and all. I guess this just isn't what I had in mind for our- you know, first date," she admits, blushing at that last part.

Again, Sea Hawk just grins. "Well, if you want, we could beat each other up like Catra and Adora," he jokes, earning another laugh.

"I'd kick your butt," Mermista just tells him, thinking that will be the end of it.

However, Sea Hawk's curiosity bests him. "I have to ask though, what did you have in mind?" he asks, disengaging from her to rest on his elbow.

She decides to go ahead and lie back herself as she chooses to look towards the comfort of the violet Salineas sky. "Well, I mean… I don't know. I was expecting shanties and fire and stuff. You know… 'Advencha,'" she bashfully confesses, now really getting red in the cheeks.

Hearing her say that magical word is enough to fill Sea Hawk's nautical heart to the very brim with warmth, but he does his best to play it cool, only letting a little spazziness spill. "You said the thing," he chuckles. However, he decides to get serious as he lies back, carefully composing his words before revealing them to his girlfriend. "Truth be told Mermista, I went out of my way to avoid those things because I didn't want to do anything to embarrass you. I wanted our _first date advencha_ to be perfect."

It's rare that he speaks from his heart and not his ass, so she takes him seriously as she digests what he's said to her. With careful consideration, one thing stands out above all others as it registers for her. "Embarrass me?" she parrots as she sits up to look at him.

He just returns a glance before looking back to the sky. "Well, yeah. I know that sometimes my salty sea dog theatrics aren't your kind of song. If that kind of stuff makes you embarrassed to be seen with me, then I won't do it on our dates," he says to her, trying to sound more pragmatic than emotional.

It doesn't matter much, because Mermista still takes it to heart as she feels herself deflate a little. "You really think that?" she asks with a sobered voice.

He doesn't want her to feel guilty for his own decision though. So rolling the proverbial dice and hoping for a high roll, he sits up to meet her eyes with a warm, loving smile. "I think you're worth trading a ship on fire for a shoreside view like this."

For a goober, he sure knows how to say just the right things sometimes. His answer makes her feel all warm and fuzzy at first, like her favorite sweatshirt when she first takes it out of the dryer. But like her sweatshirt, the warmth cools down. Her initial feelings of remorse return to her with the thought that she made the man she cares about most feel like he couldn't even be himself on their first date together. Sure, he doesn't seem to mind much, but that isn't the point. He's done nothing but treat her well since they've known one another… aside from setting a few ships on fire and stealing one of her favorite books. But still.

What matters to her is realizing that the man she has feelings for doesn't sit quietly along cliffsides. He's loud, reckless, and even a little obnoxious. She won't let him sacrifice that just to make her feel some stupid sense of temporary coolness that isn't even really that cool.

This new fire in her belly brings to life a new determination, and she makes it known as she stands to her feet. "Get up."

Taken back by her change of demeanor, he worriedly asks, "Wait, did I do something wrong?"

"No, I was the idiot," she's quick to assert, offering him her hand to help him up. "Seashells and flowers are boring. I wanna go fight pirates or steal a boat or- or- I dunno, something!"

He takes her hand despite the feeling of uncertainty. "Mermista, what are you saying?"

She meets his eyes, staring into them as if they were pools of like, something romantic. He's been so good to her, and now she wants to return the favor by making sure their first date is the best first date ever. "I want to go on an ADVENCHA!" she animatedly announces like he would, even going as far as to do the finger pointing thing he does. For a moment, she just poses like this while he stares at her, his eyes almost actually twinkling with a gawky shrimp eating grin on his face. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asks.

"You said the thing again! With salty sea dog theatrics!" he answers, this time failing to contain his enthusiasm. It makes her roll her eyes a little, but they both compromise with their inner struggles as she decides to let him have this, and he decides to straighten up a little to get to business. "Alright, let's do it! Let's go on a first date advencha!" he declares.

"Okay, cool!" she says with a smile. But then she like, doesn't know how to continue. "So like, what do we do?"

There seems to be a little miscommunication somewhere, because Sea Hawk doesn't understand what she means. "I'm afraid I'm not smelling what you're cookin' there, Merms."

"First of all, never call me that again," she tells him before clarifying. "But like, I don't know, I've never done the whole starting an advencha thing."

"Hmm… Hmm hmm hmm hmm _hmm…"_ he thoughtfully hums as he strokes the tip of his moustache. 'Tis true. Most of his misadventures do start with him having a brilliant idea. The time he set up the kidnapping for Bow and Swift Wind, the time he tested out that shark repellent spray, the time he thought it would be a good idea to try and write a novel…

Light bulb! Novel! "Well, if you insist on partaking in a daring quest to commemorate our romance, I may have something in mind, actually," he tells her with a near devious grin.

She just responds with one of her own as she excitedly throws a fist in the air. "Alright then, let's do this!"

Good things come to those who wait, but great things come to those who rush in, as Sea Hawk has learned over his pirate career. So without any hesitation, he grabs Mermista by the hand to twirl her into his arm, and with his free hand, he flamboyantly throws a finger to the direction of the sky.

"Onward… TO ADVENCHA!"

* * *

Le Odorous Clam, the most wretched hive of scum and villainy in all of Seaworthy. Once upon a time, Sea Hawk was but a boy who would come here with his father and admire the life of a swashbuckler like a fly on the wall. He could come and go as he pleased, everyone thought he was the coolest kid to the coolest guy around. However, dozens of ships were set on fire by both pirate captains since those days, and now the only thing Sea Hawk can bet on here is that he'll see someone who wants his hide on a platter.

Today, he counts on it as he sneaks along the pier to the tavern with his dearest Princess Mermista. They've stayed quiet for most of their walk, but now that they're this close and things seem copacetic, for now at least, she decides to ask the question that's been on her mind these last few minutes. "Alright Sea Hawk, are you ever going to fill me on this plan of yours?"

He takes a look around to see if any incriminating ears might be listening in, but thankfully it would appear the ruffians walking around are just regular ruffians. No one with a grudge against ol' Sea Hawk. So he smiles as he gestures Mermista to come closer. "Well, do you remember how I borrowed your copy of Mer-Mysteries Volume 7 and failed to return it to you?"

She scowls. "You mean the book you stole from my room when I wasn't around? Oh yeah, how could I forget?" she sarcastically bemoans.

Sea Hawk just laughs it off though. "Hahaha! Well… I lost it."

Hearing this makes her blood boil, but Mermista does her best to stay quiet as she glowers at him. "You lost it?!"

"Well, not exactly. It was actually borrowed from me and the owner failed to return it. So it was stolen from me when I wasn't around," he explains as if it's no big deal, choosing to just keep walking cooly in the direction of Le Odorous Clam.

Mermista isn't just going to let him disregard this though, so she grabs him by the sleeve to coerce him into meeting her eyes. "Sea Hawk!"

He keeps playing it cool as he looks around to make sure no one suspicious is watching. Again, the tide seems fine for sailing, so he just stays calm as he acknowledges Mermista's concerns. "Okay, I was around," he confesses, earning him a disgruntled scoff. "But it's alright! I know who has it, and we're going to get it back!" he assures her with a smile.

He seems pretty confident in whatever scheme he has planned in his doofy head. While she stays a little upset remembering that her book was stolen by him and then stolen again by some gross stranger, she knows she can't afford to make a scene right now. Plus, like, it's whatever. He's her boyfriend and this is their first date and stuff. So she just relaxes a bit as she decides to fish out some more details. "So is that why we're going to the Stinky Clam?"

"Yes!" Sea Hawk gladly answers. "But also, they have really good sweet tea. They say you can buy some from the store that tastes the same, but it doesn't taste the same."

Satisfied enough with his answer, Mermista just rolls her eyes and keeps following along as they make it to the tavern doors. The smell of saltwater is pervaded by the odor of beer and, of course, clams; and the most depressingly gruff accordion tunes are playing inside. The kind of stuff that only the grodiest rough necks would listen to. While she isn't quite sure what to expect, she knows that this will probably be the next place she has to fight someone. And honestly, it kind of excites her.

Sea Hawk stops her for just a moment before they make their way inside. "Just follow my lead and act natural," he whispers before taking a deep breath. Then he actually kicks the doors to open them. "What is up my fellow sea sponges?!" he shouts as loudly as he can, and the accordion music sharply stops.

Mermista's jaw almost drops at his sheer recklessness. She thought that he would casually make his way to the counter and order a drink, not barge in shouting the stupidest thing in the history of stupidity. She feels her cheeks flush and her shoulders tense up as every scalawag in the tavern stares at them with cold, vengeful eyes, each man, woman, and fish person looking angrier than the next as she looks back to them. "I thought you said act natural," she whispers from the side of her mouth, but Sea Hawk's bravado doesn't falter even the slightest.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing," he whispers back before making even more of a pompous jerk of himself. "Barkeep! A pitcher of sweet tea for me and my girlfriend. Don't shortchange us on the ice!" he orders the bartender from across the way, making a beeline straight for the middle of the counter where literally everyone in the bar can just dart dagger eyes at them. Not only is it lowkey embarrassing for Mermista, but this is also sooo not acting natural.

"Oh my gosh, everyone is totally staring at us," she complains as she takes a seat beside him, shielding the side of her face with her hand in hopes that she'll somehow turn invisible to the goons all staring at her. But Sea Hawk, crazy ol' Sea Hawk, he just keeps it cool and smiles.

"Wait for it…" he simply tells her, and he even has the audacity to kick his feet up on the counter. He's done some pretty bold stuff before, but this is really something. It makes Mermista's heart race to think of all the things that could go wrong, how anyone in this bar at any moment could turn and try to start something with them. And yet, she can't help but be impressed by his fearlessness at the same time.

Not like she'll tell him that, though. As if.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for someone to take unkindly to his disrespect. The sound of boots stamping the hardwood catches Mermista's ears, and she turns to see that a tall, scruffy looking man with a beard is making his way over. It takes her a moment to remember the face, but when she does, she realizes they might be in some serious trouble.

Sea Hawk notices him too, but he just grins as the bartender returns with the pitcher of tea. Keeping as aloof as ever, he just pours himself a glass of the stuff without even meeting the eyes of his adversary. "Hello Scurvy," he says before taking a swig of his drink.

It was actually pretty cool, but then the moment had to get ruined by him choking up on the tea. Apparently it's not as good as he remembered it being, and Mermista just facepalms with the new understanding that this is not going to end well.

Ignoring his coughing, Scurvy just scowls at his old enemy. "You've got some pretty big nuts coming in here," he claims as he watches him with his unforgiving eyes.

Sea Hawk hears him, but he makes sure to finish eating the mixed nuts he brought along before responding. "I'm trying to watch my blood sugar," he explains before putting his game face back on. However, he isn't given much time to say anything further, because Scurvy grabs him by the shirt collar to hold him up.

"Sea Hawk!" Mermista cries as she prepares to come to his defense, but he sticks out a halting hand. In some weird, nonsensical way… this is all going how he planned it. So she eases up, staying diligent as she watches how this plays out between the two men.

Scurvy brings his nasty yellow teeth close to Sea Hawk's face as he snarls. "I love how you always make it so easy to find you. You should know by now there's nothing I love more than giving you a hard time," he lets him know as menacingly as he can. Sea Hawk doesn't budge though. He just raises a brow before turning back to his date.

"Don't listen to him, Mermista. My standards are way too high to become involved with someone like him," he jokes. It actually manages to get her to laugh, but things are only funny until the other two members of Scruvy's gang step out from the shadows.

Knowing that he's got the backup of his two most trusted mates, Scurvy has the fun now as he tightens his grip on Sea Hawk's shirt. "Listen here, smart guy! I told you that the next time I saw you, I was going to knock your teeth out! And you know I'm a man of my word!"

While Mermista begins to get a little worried again, she heeds her man's order and does nothing. She wants to be able to just punch, kick, and blast water at these chumps; but letting Sea Hawk at least try to make one his plans actually work for once is the least she can do for him.

"Indeed you are Scurvy, indeed you are," he tells his foe before again turning to face Mermista. Something in his eyes changes. Where he was all boastful and surly before, now there's a sense of desperation on his face as he speaks. "That's why we worked so well together in the past. Still… It's not enough to overlook the _baggage."_

Something about the way he says baggage is really off, but she can't quite put her finger on it. Scurvy and the others seem to notice too, but they ignore it as their leader continues threatening the young sea captain. "Well the past was a long time ago, bub. So now you're gonna get what's been coming to ya!"

Again, Sea Hawk looks to Mermista instead of him. The same look of desperation is still there, intensifying with every second. "So it must be. I guess you should hurry along then. I know how _booked_ you are."

Again, his verbiage is all weird. Still, Mermista isn't able to pick up his context clues, and it shows as she worriedly shrugs. He tries to crank his neck in Scurvy's direction, then his pupils, almost like he's trying to tell her something about him. It only makes her more confused though as she studies the villainous sailor. Is there some sort of weakness she should know about? Does he have an injured rib or an extra sensitive third nipple? The only thing she really notices is just how ugly and grannyish the side bag sashed over his shoulder is, but that's really it.

Realizing that his sworn enemy is up to something, Scurvy becomes a little flustered. "Wh-what are you doing? Stop it!"

Again Sea Hawk starts with the connotations, his eyes practically bugging out of his head now as he awkwardly grits his teeth at the princess. "Don't be _beside_ yourself now. Just reach in your _bag_ of tricks and _sack_ me with what you've got!"

She just can't take it anymore. "Dude, what the heck are you saying?" she finally blurts out.

Sea Hawk returns the same impatience as he gives up on this futile game of charades. "Oh for John Silver's sake; your book is in his purse!"

"Ohhhhh," she says as it finally registers that he actually was trying to get her to notice the hideous bag draped around Scurvy. She feels a little silly for not understanding sooner, but at the same time, she and everyone else realize that the guy really could have done a better job trying to word his way around the whole ordeal.

Meanwhile, Scurvy just takes offense to a certain word that was used. "Hey! This is not a purse! It is a totally normal bag that I use to carry things!" he insists. Even the members of his crew can't help but start to chuckle under their breaths, but he makes sure to shut that shrimp down real quick as he meets them with very unamused glares to put them back in place.

Mermista isn't as easily intimidated. "So like, a purse?"

Finally fed up with everything, Scurvy enters a rage as he cocks his fist back to unload it on Sea Hawk's moustached face. "GRRRRAH!"

Realizing this, Mermista decides she's had enough watching and waiting. "Woah, woah, woah. Time out," she says as she steps forward, getting right between the two salty sea captains. Luckily it coaxes Scurvy enough to at least hold his fist back, so she tries a little harder to soothe this over without a fight. "So like, we could do the whole trying to kill each other stuff, but my hair looks really good right now," she begins.

"Your hair always looks good," Sea Hawk interjects.

"Thanks babe," Mermista simply expresses before getting back to the point for Scurvy. "Instead of Sea Hawk losing his nuts and yours falling out of your purse-"

"Oh, thank you," Scurvy tells her as he realizes his own bag of mixed nuts is close to falling out of his manly bag that's definitely not a purse. "Not a purse by the way," he's sure to clarify as he slides them back further.

"-why don't you just give me back my book?" Mermista finally gets to finish, trying her best to make this sound as reasonable for everyone as possible.

For a moment, it seems like the enemy pirates might actually consider her offer to compromise. However, what little hope she's given is washed away as Scurvy leads the other two in a chorus of laughter. "Oh, so this is what you came for?" he asks as he uses his free hand to reach into the pur- _bag_ for the coveted Mer-Mysteries novel. Sure enough, it's Mermista's copy. She can tell from the wear and tear of the spine, and the little writing on the corner that reads ' _Sea Hawk and Entrapta: DON'T TOUCH.'_ It doesn't matter to Scurvy though, and he makes it well known as he shoves it back into the bag. "Well too bad! I'm already six chapters in and I'm actually pretty invested. Noelle is my favorite so far."

She wants to get angry, but in a weird sort of way, she's more happy just to hear that her literature is being appreciated. "I mean, at least he's reading it," she says with a shrug as she looks to her boyfriend, who still dangles from Scurvy's clutch like a trout on a hook.

Realizing just how dire the situation might be for he and his signature 'stache, Sea Hawk reaches into his own metaphorical bag for a last ditch effort. "Scurvy, you leave me no choice," he says as he throws all nonsense and tomfoolery to the side for a fresh new coat of seriousness. Desperate times call for desperate measures... "Give me back the book or I'll spoil the ending for you!"

Everyone gasps, even Mermista. "Babe…"

He looks around at the mortified faces of everyone watching on. It's almost like he's set the most sacred boat in the world on fire with his threat. A threat that he really didn't think was all that bad compared to some of the things he's had to go through. "What?"

Mermista takes it upon herself to try and soothe things over. "I mean, I want the book back, but we're supposed to be the good guys here," she tells him with a comforting hand on the back.

Scurvy's first mate even takes it upon herself to try and reason with him. Not all problems are solved with violence. Sometimes a person just needs to be patient and understanding. "Yeah stealing is one thing, but spoiling stuff is just low."

Realizing now that he stepped on a pretty thin piece of ice, he takes a step back to try and make things a little better for everyone. "Okay, okay. My bad. Let's forget I said anything," he remorsefully says, and everyone smiles at him the with knowledge that he'll leave this tavern today a better and more educated civilian.

Until Scurvy goes back to wanting to punch his face anyway. "Nice try ponyboy, but you're not getting the book back. Not after everything you've put me and my crew through!" he promises, clenching his fist once again.

At this point though, Mermista isn't even sure if she can really be upset. She's just becoming more confused than anything. "Okay but why not like, make him walk a plank or something? Why steal a book?"

It's a perfectly good question, and all the spectators look to Scurvy in hopes that he'll have a solid answer. Just like his parents and every woman he's ever tried to love though, they're all left disappointed as he becomes flustered. "I don't know! I thought it was like, a wad of cash or something in there. So I just took the bag before he ran off!"

Sea Hawk raises a finger to let everyone know he'd like to speak, then he turns to Mermista again with a little smile. "You know I actually bought that purse for you Mermista. So technically he stole two things from you."

She smiles too as she holds her hand to her heart. "You bought that ugly purse for me after stealing my book? Aww, that's so sweet."

As if things couldn't get any worse for Scurvy, now even his first mate is starting to laugh at him. "Dude, you've been carrying around a purse with a book in it," she ribs.

"Agh! It's not-!" he frustratingly starts to argue before just giving up. At this point, he doesn't care about the stupid bag or the stupid book. All he cares about is making Sea Hawk pay for all the times he's humiliated him. "That's it! It's time to finish you off once and for all!" he shouts as he readies to finally deliver his punch.

All Mermista can do is gasp as she watches the fist fly in her boyfriend's direction. It's too late, this haymaker is going wreck up some 'stache. However, as she cringes and closes her eyes, she hears nothing. There's no loud pow, no girly squealing from her favorite shanty singing sailor. Curious, she opens her eyes to see why that is, and she's stunned to find that he actually managed to catch Scurvy's fist mid punch.

Everyone including the villainous pirate just watches with disbelief as Sea Hawk narrows his eyes at his foe. He doesn't strike back though. Instead, he just lets go of Scruvy's fist. "You know what? I agree. It is time we buried this rivalry in the sand."

Flabbergasted at this raw display of machismo, Scruvy's grip loosens, freeing Sea Hawk to do as he pleases. He takes a step back towards his mates, almost begging them to help with the look in his eyes. They seem just as shaken up though as Sea Hawk stands firm.

For Mermista, it's easily the coolest thing she's ever seen from him. After months of touting about harrowing adventures and daring rescues across the seven seas, she finally witnesses him backing up his claims to being the best pirate anywhere around. He won't be intimidated, he won't be denied, and he won't let his moustache's shine be dimmed by anything Etheria throws his way. Especially the likes of skeevy ol' Scurvy.

She smiles as she proudly takes her place by him, ready to fight by his side. "I got your back, babe," she promises him. However, he again raises a halting hand, keeping her from coming any closer to his foe.

"No dearest, this has to be finished one on one. Man vs man. Champion vs challenger," he explains with a certain seriousness she's seldom heard from him. At the end of the day, he may be a lot of things, but one thing he is not is a man without honor.

Of course, she could care less about honor, but he thinks it's cool, so… "That's stupid, but okay. Do what you gotta do," she tells him before giving him a little kiss on the cheek. He does his best not to turn to red over her sweet gesture, and with the fire burning inside of him like the first flame of a boat's port bow, he's able to redirect all of this adrenaline to the epic battle he's about to engage in.

Remembering everything that's led them to this confrontation, Scurvy does the same as he stares intently into his opponent's eyes. The tension is palpable, his fists are ready for punching. "Are you ready to do this, Sea Hawk?"

Narrowing his eyes with the same level of graveness, Sea Hawk takes his stance. "Let's do this Scurvy. Let's finish this like real men…"

Then he does an actual backflip onto the bar counter, pulling a microphone from… somewhere. "With a song battle!"

For just a few minutes, Mermista, Scurvy, and everyone else in the bar were convinced that shrimp was about to get real. Ever the charismatic enigma, Sea Hawk had everyone fooled into believing he could engage in combat without singing or dancing about it. But as an actual spotlight shines down on him, because of course one does, Mermista remembers that Sea Hawk is Sea Hawk. "A what?" is all she can manage to get out, trying to wrap her head around what's even going on at this point. Her words aren't left much room to linger though as Scurvy cuts in all barbarically.

"What? No! You're not singing a stupid-"

Apparently, yes he is. "Hit it, barkeep!" he orders the bartender, who meets with with lifelessness in his withered eyes as he just pushes a button on the music player beside him.

The bass pumps, the percussion is bombastic, and a super sleek synthesizer joins in as Sea Hawk starts wiggling his hips a little. He was born to be the center of attention, and he proves it as he dances along to the rhythm of this iconic pop hit from forty years ago.

" _Squawking away. Seagulls don't know- what to say. I'll say it anyway. Today's another day to fire you. Your ships burn away! I'll be coming for your book today…"_ he sings as he moves from table to table, all while everyone becomes mesmerized by his performance.

" _Taaaaaaake oooooon Sea… Sea Hawk, me. Taaaaaaake Seeeeeeea Haaaaaawk! IIIIIIIIIII'llllll siiiiing ooooooon! Mermista I love yoooooooou!"_

Some patrons adore him, some grow saltier with every lyric. Mermista? She's in a trance. There was a time where this sort of thing would have had her groaning and begging for someone to throw this guy out on his rump. It seems like a distant memory now, and faded past she wants no part of remembering. Sea Hawk may not always be chill, and he may say some really silly- borderline stupid, things sometimes. But he's shameless. He's proud. He's strong, shrewd, capable, and just as caring as he is daring.

She loves him. She loves him more than she's ever loved anyone else.

Unfortunately, her enchantment is rudely interrupted by the bellyaching of one super salty sea dog in Admiral Scurvy. "Enough! No more singing, no more dancing, no more bullshrimp! I'm putting an end to this!" he yells as he pulls out his rapier and points it right at Sea Hawk.

The music sharply cuts off, and he throws his hands up defensively. Mermista watches on, unsure what to do, but she learns quickly as the other villains draw their swords too. "Sea Hawk, what were you thinking?" she pleas as she throws up her hands as well.

Finally, it would appear that the young captain has learned to regret some of his actions tonight as he meets her with a somber tone. "I was thinking… that would make a good distraction while his ship sets on fire."

Just kidding. He didn't learn anything.

Scurvy, however, learns a hard lesson about minding his surroundings as he turns towards the windows at the side of the building. The forthcoming dusk is only brightened by a blazing inferno rising from a docked ship at the pier, _his_ docked ship. "HUAH!" he gasps as he fretfully grabs his hair. "Caroluna! NOOOOOOO!"

"Caroluna?" Mermista questions before seeing Sea Hawk's mischievous moustached grin.

"It's a stupid name for a stupid ship," he mocks. Then with cunning celerity, he kicks Scurvy's rapier out of his hand, then punches the goon right in the face before using the same hand to grab the freefalling weapon. It happens so quickly that all anyone, Mermista definitely included, can do is watch with mouths wide open. The room stays still for a moment, the tension rising with every second.

Sea Hawk was never a fan of silences. Also, he's pulled this kind of stuff enough to know when he's pushed his luck, and there are still many other baddies who will now come for his head. So he grabs his dearest Mermista by her hand to let her know it's time to get going. "Get the book and run!"

She has to shake her head to really get back in the game, but the sight of angry pirates coming her way with swords is enough to trigger some responsiveness. She has no issue following her boyfriend's plan through to the end, but she's not leaving without a fight either. She releases herself from his grip, using both her hands to conjure up a good ol' fashioned water blast at the closest minions. Then she flips her hair to make sure it still looks great, and she grabs her copy of Mer-Mysteries from Scurvy's ugly purse. "Alright. Let's go," she says to Sea Hawk with a smile before taking his hand again.

Despite the angry pirates that are getting back on their feet, he takes a second to smile back at her beautiful eyes before throwing a finger to the air. "Onward! To ADVENCHA!"

They run like shell out of the tavern and into the night. Against the wind they race along the pier, Mermista following Sea Hawk's lead as she holds tight to his hand. The Dragon's Daughter IX waits quietly for them in its dock, but with little space between the two of them and an angry mob of skeevy swashbucklers, it would seem they won't be able to escape on this ship.

Sea Hawk tries to think of a way out, but he knows that for all the planning ahead, these circumstances eluded him. As tough and daring as he is, fighting off a whole crew of pirates may not be the best idea. Especially it means possibly putting his beloved girlfriend in danger.

She isn't so worried about that though as she starts preparing to use the water around her to fight. "It looks like we're going to have to make a stand here, babe," she tells him. One of the things he's always loved most about her was her bravery in the face of even the most overwhelming odds. She's as much a warrior as she is a queen, a master of water with a fire that burns inside of her like-

"Wait a second! Fire!" he blurts out with epiphanic joy.

"Fire? What about fire?" Mermista questions.

Happy to oblige, he points to the Dragon's Daughter IX. "It's like they always say, my dearest. When in doubt, set your boat on fire!"

She meets with him with much dubiousness. "You're the only person who says that!" she hollers before turning her attention back to the mob quickly making their way to the dock. "Besides, how would we get out of here?"

As always, Sea Hawk isn't short for words. It's not always shanties and one liners with him though, he knows when to speak from his heart. "Mermista, listen to me," he begins as he holds on to her shoulders, gazing deeply and passionately into her eyes. "I know I've asked you to do many crazy things. But I always do them because I have your best interest in mind. You mean everything to me," he tells her, his bleeding heart ripe red on his sleeve. It makes her own heart flutter to hear it; to know that she means so much to him.

It also butters her up enough to take his next words seriously. "Also, you're literally the most powerful person on Etheria when you're surrounded by water. So let's set that broach on fire and toss it like it's hot!"

The mob fast approaches, now consisting of at least a dozen pirates, maybe more. They're all angry and scraggly, harboring resentment towards people like Princesses and firestarters. Maybe they don't stand a chance against them…

But Mermista sees the way Sea Hawk keeps looking at her with such compassion and admiration in his eyes. He believes in her in a way no one else ever has. He trusts her with his everything, enough to risk life and limb over a silly book and a remarkable first date. Maybe he's a little eccentric, but that's just one of the many things she's learned to love about him.

Something else she's learned to love over time are some of his signature phrases. And she knows exactly which one to cry out as she uses her mighty powers of the sea to create a wave strong enough to raise up an entire pirate ship. "ADVENCHA!"

The members of the mob all try to stop themselves as they see the phenomenon. They've heard of the power that the Princesses are able to bestow upon themselves, but seeing it up close… they learn to believe the tales. The legends.

And while they already knew the legends of one certain moustachioed, song singing, advencha having sea captain named Sea Hawk… he's happy to give them another story for their friends as he lights up a trusty molotov cocktail and tosses it as the Dragon's Daughter IX.

Few things have ever been as beautiful to him as the sight of watching the love of his life throw a flaming ship at a group of scurvious scallywags running and crying like Kyle's, and he grins from ear to ear with twinkles in his eyes as the glorious blaze of its fire reigns down on this Seaworthy pier. It's almost like slow motion as it comes crashing down on the canvas, hardwood and metal all flying in every direction as the thing practically explodes on impact. He just blinks a few times as he stares in awe, but he's brought back around by the feeling of Mermista's hand grabbing his sleeve.

"We need to get out of here!" she exclaims, looking from the fire and flames to the embers of his eyes.

He just keeps smiling, but he shakes himself to get somewhat serious. "Alright, let's set sail."

Again Mermista uses her incredible power to summon a wave, this time so that she may jump aboard it like an aquatic palanquin. She hops down and lands on it like it's a surface, then she extends her hand for Sea Hawk to grab it. Despite his amazement and uncertainty, he wastes little time in accepting her invitation. Instead of taking her hand though, he just jumps down senton style, and she instinctively catches him in her arms.

For a moment, they meet eyes. And of course, Sea Hawk just smiles. It's cute and all, but Mermista still has to roll her eyes as her cheeks redden. Even so, she can't help but look up to the burning pier, astonished at all the destruction she's wrought to this already landlubbered place. "I hope I didn't like- kill anybody doing that," she thinks aloud.

Sea Hawk just shrugs. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

With that, they ride off into the sea, leaving behind the burning fires and the hollering of a guy shouting, "My leg!" The seconds are all too fast at first as Mermista feels the roaring waves of the water at her feet, but with time they begin to drain much more slowly as she relishes in holding her most loved confidant in her arms. He hasn't stopped smiling since leaving the pier, and while part of it is kind of lowkey weird, she can't help but blush because of it.

"What?" she simply asks.

He laughs a little. "When you threw the ship… You said the thing."

When it registers what he means, she just smiles too.

* * *

Night has completely fallen over Salineas as they approach the shore. Everything is quiet and peaceful, and for what might actually be the first time ever, Mermista takes a little time to just appreciate how stars now shine at night over Etheria. Her reverie is only slightly broken as she senses Sea Hawk coming to join by her side in enjoying the view. As beautiful as the stars are though, she decides she'd much rather enjoy him right now. "That was-" she begins, but he cuts her off with a sorrowful tone in his voice.

"Incredibly stupid, I know. I'm sorry I always put you in danger," he begins with conviction. "I know I probably embarrassed you, and I'm sorry if I-"

She returns the favor by shushing him with just one of her fingers. Slowly she draws it back as his eyes follow along, but they meet hers soon enough to find warmth and compassion in their brown irises. "I was going to say: that was amazing."

They just smile at one another for a moment as their cheeks pinken a little, then they join hands in a way all too serendipitous and synchronized. "Really?" he simply says to her, losing himself in the way she makes him feel.

She doesn't even have to really think it over. Like him, she just finds the perfect thing to say. "Best first date advencha ever."

She never knew that another person could bring her these types of feelings. She always preferred the solitary of her throne room, reading books and just like, doing whatever. She never guessed that she could be the kind of person to find love, and she never thought she'd find it from Sea Hawk of all people. His songs used to bother her. She didn't want her friends knowing about him. She even tried to kill him a few times. Now? Now she doesn't want to imagine life without him.

While Sea Hawk never thought himself to be the romantic type either, he knew that would all change after meeting this woman. She's everything he's ever wanted from a love; strong, brave, beautiful, and even adventurous. He dreamed of nights like these, and now that they're really happening, his heart nearly swoons with fulfilment.

Gently he brings his hand to her cheek as he gazes into her eyes. "You are the greatest treasure that a sea captain could ever ask for."

"Aw, Sea Hawk…" she says, her heart just as full with joy. The tension between them grows more powerful with every second. There's a warmth in the air that's just perfect for this time of night, and underneath the shine of Etheria's stars and moons, they know what has to happen next.

"Are you ready?" Mermista quietly, beseechingly asks.

"Ready? Ready for what?" Sea Hawk asks.

She looks deeply into his eyes for just a moment longer before answering. "First kiss advencha..."

It's perfect. Just absolutely perfect. No journey's end can compare to the happiness and fulfillment he feels right now hearing those words and seeing this look in her eyes. No songs need sang, no fires need started. Right now, he just needs to say the right thing and enjoy a wonderful night with the woman he loves. "Onward…"

With that, Mermista grabs him by his shirt and crashes her lips into his. She feels the tickle of his moustache and the taste of sweet tea, all just surface level bonuses to this loving ecstasy flowing inside. It's just as amazing for Sea Hawk as he feels the summer air becoming permeated with their lingering love. Finally he doesn't have to be afraid or ashamed. In her love, he had all the validation he could ever ask for.

Eventually they disengage to look back into each other's eyes. The passionate fires haven't died in the slightest, and in this gaze they know that what they have is true.

Which makes it a really bad time for Sea Hawk to remember something. "Oh shrimp... I just realized all of your other books were on the ship we set on fire."

"Sea Hawk!"

* * *

**Thanks as always for reading, Friends of Mara. I had so much fun with this. Sea Hawk is honestly my favorite character in anything ever, so it's great to finally write for him! Mermista is just so much fun too, so yeah. I loved working on this. Especially the Take On Me parody xD**

**It's a little hard to keep up with all the comments and reviews, and sometimes all I have to say is "Thanks for reading smiley face" so I'm just going to say here that I really do appreciate every bit of feedback. You guys are all awesome!**

**I also want to give a shoutout to chiipls on Twitter for their drawing, "A seagull told me." It gave my lots of fluffy feels that kept me determined while writing this bad boy, so go check it out!**

**Our next chapter will show us how Frosta is doing going into her second try at a Princess' Ball, and will feature some other fun characters doing silly stuff. I hope to see you all then, and thanks again! :D**


	5. The Grand Scheme

**The Grand Scheme**

The sun barely rises over Etheria on this cool, crisp morning. While there’s never stillness in a place rich with as much life as Bright Moon, things are particularly quiet on this day. The animals, even the birds, are all still fast asleep in their burrows and nests. The only sound comes from a rustling of the soft wind amongst the blades of grass, and its sound is only perturbed by the quiet footsteps that press through them.

She isn’t trying to be sneaky, there’s not really much of a point with where she’s going. Surely no one will be here this time of day. No, her silence comes from a natural place of serenity, the same kind of calm that allows these grounds to rest with the peace they deserve. It almost haunts Catra as she turns against the wind to look up to the archway of the castle cemetery, allowing herself to be humbled by this peace in a way few things ever have.

She learns to respect it instead of fear it though. She doesn’t have anything to be afraid of, really. Nothing can hurt her here. No, any uneasiness comes from an almost darker place as she continues along these sacred grounds, her heart beating a little faster with every second. It comes from knowing that her past is never completely behind her, that her sins can never be entirely absolved. When she is dead and buried here, there will always be some memory of her crimes against the Rebellion. Always.

This isn’t really about her though. It’s about someone else right now as she passes every monument and headstone dedicated to the lives of the lost from the Rebellion’s bravest and finest. Heroes of all shapes and sizes rest here, either in body or spirit. Soldiers, vanguards, even the sons and daughters that simply made their memory worth keeping alive from their homes in the kingdom. That humbling weighs down on her as she glances at their gravesites, her respect for them as solid as the stones in their honor.

Only one stops her on her way to her destination, though.

The thing about heroes is that they don’t choose their graves. They only choose how they end up lying in them. They don’t get to decide how big their monuments are or how many flowers are left on their grave, the loved ones they leave behind do that for them. In an almost unfair sort of way, the size of their monument measures how heroic they were to the people remembering them.

There isn’t even a body buried beneath the biggest statue in the entire park. There are however flowers of every variety and color scattered along the grass around the stone, and even some speckled across the base of the statue molded in Queen Angella’s image. Although they never actually met, Catra’s seen her face in pictures around the castle. She’s heard her name many times long before she was ever even welcome here. In a way, they knew each other better than some friends ever do.

And she knows that the reason she isn’t here and this statue is… is because of her. Because of what she did.

All she can do is stare at the marble face of a fallen angel. Had it not been for her selfish desire to open Hordak’s portal, no one would have gotten hurt. Glimmer would still have her mother. Micah would have come home to his wife. She wouldn’t have to live with this terrible guilt knowing that it was all her fault. Sure, Adora and Glimmer have forgiven her. Everyone seems eager to forgive her and remind her of how much she’s done to make up for her past mistakes.

She still isn’t able to forgive herself though. Maybe she never will.

She takes a deep breath remembering that this isn’t supposed to be about her though. There will be more time for self pity and sorrow later, and hopefully something more meaningful to work through these feelings. For now, she just rests a hand on the base of the statue, her eyes slightly watering as she looks up to the statue’s face, then the sky. “I promise I’ll make this right one day. For you. For Glimmer,” she says before turning to make her leave. “And… I’ll bring flowers next time…”

Her next stop isn’t any easier. Maybe she’s supposed to take the advice of her friends and just let go of the past, but she knows deep down that it isn’t so simple. Heck, they even have to know. One doesn’t keep ruining things for everyone and just come out clean just because they say sorry. It’s so much more complicated. There’s so much more that needs done.

At least she has the option to right her wrongs. One person doesn’t. She made the ultimate sacrifice for her penance. The flashbacks of seeing Shadow Weaver unmask herself before becoming consumed by flames plays over in her mind’s eye as she looks upon the grave of yet another casualty of the war. Another person who could still be alive if not for her, another body that isn’t even buried because there was nothing to find.

The sad truth lies in what lies before her. There isn’t a tall statue with flowers upon flowers. There’s just one headstone set far aside from the others, one with a few red and black roses tokened around the canvas. There is a name carved on the stone, yes. But it’s not the name Catra knows. It’s a name from someone who fell long before she was even born.  _ Light Spinner. _

Light Spinner didn’t nurture Catra when she was rearing. Light Spinner didn’t teach her how to fight or how to stand up for herself, and she didn’t harass her for never being as good as Adora. She didn’t belittle her at every turn and make her think she was nothing but a disappointment, she didn’t make her desperate for any sort of love and attention from anyone willing to share it. She didn’t betray her time and time again, only to show up when it mattered most to say she was proud of her and then bite the bullet so she didn’t have to.

Shadow Weaver did.

She doesn’t cry. She doesn’t feel angry or sorry at herself, she doesn’t feel much of anything really. Instead, there’s this strange numbness that comes over her as she slowly steps closer to the grave. She knows there’s no body buried here. She knows that every trace of Shadow Weaver was washed away in flame back at the Crystal Castle. And yet… she feels her here. Maybe there’s something illusory about the flowers and the headstone, or maybe she’s always sort of with her and she just doesn’t let herself feel it until now. But she senses her. She’s here with her.

At least, she hopes so. Because she didn’t come here to simply gawk at stones and bother the resting peace with her presence. No, she has a lot to say to the woman who raised her. The woman who made her who she is. She closes her eyes and draws a heavy breath, then has a seat on the ground close to the headstone.

“Hey Shadow Weaver,” she starts, unsure what else to really even say. They didn’t exactly exchange pleasantries back at the Fright Zone. The extent of their conversations was mostly the older woman barking orders and scolding at her. She tries to block out those memories though as she thinks of how to continue this… conversation. “So uh, things are going pretty good right now. Back at Bright Moon with the Princesses and stuff.”

Obviously she expects no response. She’s only here to speak, to be heard somehow. Even so, it makes it difficult to decide where to begin. There are so many thoughts and feelings that have stayed with her since the fateful day where everything changed back in the Crystal Castle. For every painful memory, there’s confusion. This feeling that maybe she’s been too stubborn to look at new perspectives for a very long time. There’s resentment, but there’s also… consideration.

All this time around princesses has made her soft maybe. But she’s enjoying herself around them. They make her feel at home. Swaying with these thoughts, she thinks of somewhere to start again. Somewhere that might actually interest Shadow Weaver, assuming she’s listening.

“Micah is doing alright. I see him around here and there and he’s actually a pretty cool dude. I guess he hasn’t seen me mess everything up like everyone else has so he doesn’t have as much reason to judge me,” she weakly laughs. “I only brought him up because, ya know…”

Why is this so hard? Even in death, Shadow Weaver is so tough to talk to. There’s the image of her white, empty eyes scornfully staring. Disappointment, annoyance, resentment. Nothing is ever good enough. The difference is that now she can’t say anything. She can’t interrupt Catra to yell or throw in snarky comments. No, she’s stuck listening to whatever she has to say.

She could say a lot of things. She could say how she’s been so angry for such a long time, or how she’s been made to feel inadequate, like she’s broken beyond repair. She could bring up all the times she hurt her, things big and small… But she doesn’t want to. Where she could be hateful, instead she feels this sorrow. For her, for herself, for everything.

“I’ve been trying. I don’t know how well I’m doing but everyone says I’m doing alright. I guess it’s hard to trust people actually liking me for once but… I’m working on it.”

In a way, she’s afraid that the words won’t be heard, even if they somehow can be. Like Shadow Weaver would just turn and ignore her, completely disinterested in whatever she might have to say. Yet, she feels compelled to say everything she feels.  _ Everything.  _ The little things that come to mind and make her laugh, and the big things she’s carried with her for years. The things that didn’t kill her and made her stronger. Maybe there’s an interest, maybe there’s not. Either way, she finds it easier to just say whatever comes to mind with more time to sit and take in the crisp morning air around this empty grave.

“Perfuma, the plant chick, she’s been teaching me some meditation techniques and stuff. I thought it was pretty stupid at first. But, I gave it a try, and I kind of like it. It’s nice.”

“I’ve been trying to be a better friend to Scorpia. We have this thing where we get together once a week or so and just play games. I thought that would be stupid too, but it’s actually fun. She’s awesome.”

“Adora joins us sometimes. And Entrapta. I’ve been trying to be better to her too. She’s weird, even weirder than the rest of them, but she means well.”

“Hordak still gets the cold shoulder a lot. I guess I should be grateful people at least pretend to like me…”

There comes a point where she stays silent. She says nothing for a few minutes, instead just looking at some of the flowers on the ground. Unlike some of those gifted to Angella, none of these are fresh. They were all laid here around the same time, and no one has come since. In a way, it makes her a little angry. More so, it makes her sad. Not only because Shadow Weaver has so few people to miss her, but because she can’t really blame everyone who doesn’t. 

She could keep going on about the princesses and all her new friends, reminding herself and the voiceless woman she speaks to how good things are supposed to be now. She could just up and leave, choosing to realize that nothing she says probably even matters. Instead, she finally succumbs to this churning in her gut, this twisting in her heart. If there’s anything to really say to Shadow Weaver, she should tell her now.

“Look… I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. I guess I just feel like… like maybe you’re looking after me, somehow? Like, somewhere in the grand design and stuff? I don’t know. I’ve never been the grand scheme type…”

She freezes. All those bad memories flood her mind. All those feelings of fear, insecurity, and inadequacy plague her like a sickness. There are so many things she could go off on, so many negative feelings she could explode with.

But suddenly, there’s a chill. Something in the wind that makes her break from her trance. She disregards her inner torment enough to have a quick look around, and when she turns behind her, she realizes something. She really isn’t alone.

The tip of a red boot sticks out from behind a monument, and then a hand, and then a familiar pale face. It’s the face of the only other person who could even begin to understand Catra’s feelings, the face of the girl she grew up with in the Fright Zone. The girl who knew Shadow Weaver. The woman who stood by her side as they watched the woman who raised them burst into flames. The woman she loves.

Realizing she’s been caught, Adora steps all the way out from the stone. The look on her face is as piteous as anything she’s ever seen, and her tone is just as sympathetic as she speaks up. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. I just- I saw you weren’t home and-” she freezes as she stares back at Catra. The heartbreak is written all over her face. The years of pain just won’t seem to forgive. No matter what she does, Shadow Weaver follows her.

There’s a very big part of Adora that wants to just run over and hug her. To hold her and tell her that things will be okay. But… Catra won’t want that. She knows from the look in her eyes that this isn’t her place to be her hero. She came here to be alone, to say what she needs to say and feel what she needs to feel. Maybe there’s something Adora could do to make it easier, but she doesn’t want to make things worse.

Realizing this, she decides to just leave her. If she wants to talk about it, they can do it later. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone,” she says, reluctantly turning to leave.

She doesn’t get very far before hearing, “Wait.” She turns to look to Catra, seeing the same agony ridden on her face. It’s a quiet pain, not like the type she’s come to expect from her over the years. She doesn’t want to shout, she doesn’t want to burst. Like everything else in this place, she’s quiet with her feelings.

For a moment, she just looks to the flowers a little longer, taking in the poetic beauty of their wilting pedals. Her eyes are a little watery, but she doesn’t cry. Finally, she’s able to articulate her feelings into words again, the things she’s been coming to terms with for so long now. For Shadow Weaver, for Adora, for herself...

“I don’t hate her. I’ve tried and I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but no matter what, I just can’t,” she says. It doesn’t matter how much she imagines her angry face, the two of them yelling back and forth about hatred and never caring. She can’t bring herself to be angry right now. “Maybe it’s because she actually did one good thing in the end, or because we’re the queens of screwing things up-”

Hearing that makes Adora’s heart sink. “Catra…” she quietly utters, but nothing further comes out. Not until she sees the way that her lover turns to her, her voice so weak and on the brink of tears. 

“I am so scared,” she tells her. There’s so much going on inside at once that it’s hard to keep composure. It’s hard to find the things she really needs to say and do. While she didn’t come here to dwell on her own mistakes, they always find a way to boggle her down again, following her around like the darkest shadow.

As quickly as she was convinced she could only get in the way, Adora now realizes that she can’t do that. Not for the person she loves more than anything in the world. They made a promise to each other, and she refuses to ever go back on it again. “Why? Talk to me,” she pleas as she steps towards Catra, doing everything she can not to reach out and wrap her arms around her.

As much as she’d love to look back to Adora’s blue eyes, she can’t. It hurts too much. She’s been so good to her, so forgiving and understanding, and for what? It doesn’t change that Shadow Weaver is gone, or Angella. It doesn’t change that she’s to blame for so many things that have gone wrong. Everyone tells her she’s okay or that she’s going to be okay, but there’s still so much pain.

“I don’t want to mess things up anymore,” she tells Adora, and in a way, herself.

After everything they’ve been through, it burns Adora to see Catra still willing to give up on herself. All this sorrow and empathy she tries to feel for her, she selfishly hopes it can be enough to snap her out of it. At the same time, she just wishes she could hold her tight and steal her pain. All of it. The pain of burden and regret, the pain she feels for the fates of others, the pain she herself has caused her. And while she knows it isn’t as easy as pressing a switch, she also knows that she can’t keep her feelings to herself.

“Catra, listen to me. You’ve got to stop beating yourself up like this,” she starts, taking her by her hand. Slowly, Catra looks to her eyes now. It’s still painful, but she owes Adora this much. And… it’s good to have her here. It’s good to know she loves her. “You’ve made mistakes. Okay? But you’re here now. You’re with me again. We all love you and want to help you. And I know you feel the same way about us. About me,” she finishes with a little smile.

Yes, there’s mostly pain. And there’s a lot of it. But there’s good stuff too. Being here with each other in such a beautiful, peaceful place, free from the imprisonment of the Fright Zone’s oppressing air and the burdens of war…

It’s easy for Catra to boggle herself with all those terrible feelings. With Adora by her side though, she gets the strength to remember her place in the world now. It really isn’t about her. It’s about her new friends and doing what she can to be there for them. It’s about moving on from the past and helping create a brighter future. That much is not easy, but she knows it’s very well worth it.

She squeezes Adora’s hand a little tighter as a weak laugh escapes her. “I’m trying. I’m doing the best I can,” she tells her before looking to Shadow Weaver’s headstone. “I just… I worry that it’s not enough…”

Adora quietly takes it in, her own flashbacks of a past under Shadow Weaver flooding her mind. She has plenty of reasons to be angry too, for herself and for Catra. But before she can become too willing to slip into these feelings, Catra looks back to her, a timidness to her pain now. “It’s not all her fault,” she begins, doing her best to show with her eyes that it’s okay not to be angry. Adora sees it, and when it’s clear to her, Catra looks back to the headstone, studying the mental images of Shadow Weaver. The good times. “She may have treated us like shit, but she took care of us, you know? In a messed up way… everything that happened… at least we’re together because of it.”

Silence falls over them now. There’s still so much that could be said about the past, but they don’t dwell on it now. Not the bad parts, anyway. Instead, they just stand together holding hands, feeling the cool winds pick up speed a little around them. There’s always going to be pain and regret, and they both know it.

Just as much as they know that their love is not so fragile.

Adora puts on a soft, warm smile as she turns to Catra. She looks back to her, an almost surprised look on her face to see such a pleasant expression. “You mean everything to me. You know that, don’t you?” Adora tells her as she brings her free hand to her face, bringing her close enough that their foreheads almost touch.

Catra decides to bring them together as she puts on her own smile, closing her eyes for a moment to really take in the exchange of compassion. “I better,” she quips as she opens her eyes to gaze into hers. “Because I love you so much.”

They smile at one another for a moment longer before breaking away to return their attention to the grave. They didn’t know Light Spinner. They didn’t know anyone except for the woman who raised them, for better or worse. While they know they’ll never see her again, they know that she’ll never really be gone either. And despite everything, they wouldn’t wish any different.

Catra is the first to avert her eyes from the headstone as she sighs. “Let’s get out of here. This is too depressing,” she decides.

And maybe she’s said everything she came here to say. Maybe she found some sort of closure, or at the very least something to help her keep moving forward. Even so, Adora wants to be sure that she’s going to be okay. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

She has to think about it for a moment. With so much to say and feel, she’ll probably never fully feel comfortable leaving the past behind. For now though, she decides that this headstone is only a headstone. It’s just a talisman made to honor a memory. As commendable as it is, she doesn’t need it to remember Shadow Weaver. She doesn’t need it to realize that she doesn’t always have to think about her, either.

So she looks to the sky, taking a few seconds to remind herself that beyond her world, there is a grand scheme. There’s beauty in life all around her, and there’s purpose to being here. With Adora’s hand in hers, she doesn’t even have to question what it is.

She turns to smile at her. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Nothing more is said. They begin walking away from the gravesite, the wind following them as they huddle close to keep warm. They stay silent most of the way through the cemetery, choosing to respect the buried as they pass through. Eventually, they leave this place behind them though, and they’re able to find reasons to smile and laugh together as they often do.

They don’t forget the past, they never will. It shaped and molded them into the people they are. As bad as things could get sometimes though, they don’t let that stop them. It might slow them down sometimes, but they always move forward. They always try harder to be better and live happier.

And while it would be easy for her to assume the worst, Catra decides that part of moving forward is forgiving. Not just herself, but Shadow Weaver. The woman she knows is watching over her.

* * *

**As many of you probably know by now, I am a habitual liar. I promised that the next chapter would feature Frosta, but frankly I wanted to do this more lol. One, I wanted to publish another chapter asap so you guys won’t move on with your lives and forget about me, and two, I was feeling angsty with all the stuff going on lately.**

**I apologize if all that angst came out of nowhere. The only thing I love writing more than fluff is angst :weary:**

**Anyway, I’m working hard to get the next chapter done. This story is still my top priority, even with some other things like DC Superhero Girls and that icky real life stuff coming up. So next time** **_for sure,_ ** **we’ll see Frosta. And some other cool special guests. And called her a dumbface.**

**Hopefully the wait isn’t too long, but until then, stay safe, and thanks so much for everything. You guys are capital A Awesome.**


	6. Frosta's Big Balls

**Frosta's Big Balls**

The Kingdom of Snows. Of all of Etheria's kingdoms, few are considered as beautiful or as homely as the tundra that embodies peace and harmony.

Except for the one time where the Horde attacked the All Princess' Ball.

It was a fluke, a blemish on an otherwise perfect record for the kingdom. Princess Frosta has done many great things for her people since assuming the throne at a very early age, and the other princesses agreed that she deserved better than to have her chance at the Princess' Ball ruined because of factors outside of her control. They all also agreed that with the defeat of Horde Prime's villainous empire, a celebration on the grandest scale was in order.

Now several weeks removed from that fateful day, and Frosta's second chance ball is but a short seven days from happening. She has an unprecedented benefit that no other princess has ever had before with experience planning a "Princess Prom," and a lot of this feels like treaded ground for her. The lists, the schedules, the meetings, it's all stuff she's just used to at this point. It doesn't keep her from stressing a little though, even with the help of her friends and having that experience. This prom needs to be perfect.

She does her best not to become too encumbered with it though as she supervises one of the most important tasks of all in organizing a successful ball; decorating the ballroom. Thanks to the advice of people like Glimmer and Perfuma, she finds healthy ways to deal with her stress like deep breathing and being patient. It also helps that her kingdom has the help of the entire Princess' Alliance this year, something she didn't have last time planning her first ball.

So with the help of her friends and the expertise that comes with _almost_ organizing a flawless ball before, she gives herself reason to be faithful in this year's dance. Even so, she knows that it's important to stay on top of things. And that's exactly how she plans on spending her day today as she carries around her clipboard with carefully orchestrated notes that only someone as mature as her could come up with.

"Okay, let's see where we're at," she thinks aloud as she checks said notes. The first page is a hand drawn picture of her and all of her princess friends holding hands and smiling, because it's very important to have a cover page for something like this. She even managed to color in between all the lines.

The second page is the one she really wants to focus on right now though. It's a thorough list with some very important and detailed bullets to keep in mind, and to really make sure things are A-Okay with all of her planning, she decides to go over each of them one by one one last time this afternoon. The first bullet point on the list: catering. Should be a piece of cake, she thinks to herself. Then she laughs a little because she's just so punny.

Her laughter is short lived though. "Princess Frosta!" she hears someone holler from behind her. She straightens up to see what's the cause for such commotion, and is soon approached by a flustered looking Busgirl. With her are her fellow Dryl companions Soda Pop and Baker, the caterers that Entrapta insisted would be perfect for these festivities. All three of them wear anxious expressions on their faces as Busgirl speaks up on their behalf. "Please come see what we've done so far, your majesty."

Frosta shrugs, pleased to see that she doesn't have to look too hard for her caterers. She follows them over to the dining area, impressed upon first glance at the wondrous selection of party foods they've carefully selected for the occasion. She says nothing as she takes a closer look at all the finger sandwiches, macaroons, cheese crackers, and Brotherian Weiners that have been prepared. It confuses her a little that they've gone through so much trouble to prepare all this food a week before anyone will be around to eat it, but she decides not to mention that until later.

Before she gives her completely honest opinions, she looks to see what kind of attitudes they possess. For some reason, they seem really nervous as they weirdly smile at her, sweat practically dripping from their brows. She tries not to overthink it though as she decides to go ahead and let them know her first complaint. "Guys, not all the food has to be tiny," she expresses.

While they seem a little taken back by her suggestion, they don't become too perturbed. They just nod to one another and then to her before returning to their anxious dispositions.

Frosta continues her inspection, moving along to the Pea Cookies. At first, she's ready to just walk past them. They look delicious, as always. However, something unsightly happens to catch her eye, and she just can't help but point it out with a bit of a temper. "And what is this? The peas and the cookies are touching! We went through this last year! The peas and the cookies-!"

Mid rant she sees the way the caterers look terrified at her. Like she stepped on their puppy or something. While it may be important, she decides it's not important enough to send these three crying home over. Glimmer wouldn't do that...

So she takes a deep breath before addressing them more calmly. "I'm sorry I raised my voice. _Please_ try not to let anymore of them touch," she finishes before deciding to move along to the next thing on her itinerary, leaving the three caterers to sweat the small stuff alone.

"We'll get back to them later," she thinks out loud as she checks her list. "Alright. Now how are they doing with entertai-"

Before she can even finish her thought, a brash, empowered voice interrupts her. "Are you wondering about entertainment?" She's taken a bit back by it, but even more so when she turns to see that She-Ra herself is here. Her long golden hair is shiny, her statuesque figure is astonishing, and her confident smile is… off putting. Something's not right here.

As she speaks up again, Frosta decides that something _really_ isn't right about this. "Perhaps a one woman show with She-Ra would be to your liking?" The tone is too flamboyant. She-Ra is a hero of the people and a symbol of empowerment, not a professional wrestler. Soon enough, it becomes clear just why she's acting so strangely though as her golden hair and bodacious biceps are replaced by a short ginger buzzcut, a scraggly neckbeard, glasses, and a little chubby belly.

"Or maybe some dramatic readings from your favorite stories from your favorite author?" the douchebag suggests, and Frosta just rolls her eyes. She isn't given too much time to hate this new character though as they're quickly replaced by a beautiful girl with purple hair and a magician's wardrobe, complete with a wand and top hat.

"Or maybe a little magic?!"

Doing her best to keep her friends in mind and not get too in a tizzy, Frosta just sighs. "I was just thinking you could sing some songs and stuff," she simply says.

Of course, the magician girl transforms into Sea Hawk, because that's just how extra they are. "So it's shanties you want! Ohhhhhhh~" they begin to sing, only to be interrupted by Frosta again, who is _really_ trying hard here to be cool.

"Hey, no offense or anything, but can't you ever just… be yourself?"

'Sea Hawk' meets her with a puzzled look before breaking into hysterical laughter. As they laugh, their body once again becomes covered with mystical black energy, soon oozing away to reveal the true form of Etheria's resident shapeshifter Double Trouble. They continue to laugh at Frosta's suggestion, believing it to be a really funny joke. "Phew! Now that was funny!" they tell her as they settle down a little. "I think you should handle the entertainment! Just do a stand-up routine for an hour or two saying things like that!"

"Double Trouble…" Frosta moans, unimpressed.

Seeing that their client isn't amused, Double Trouble ebbs on the silliness. "Relax, relax… I strive to be the utmost professional," they assure her. "I'll work on getting a musical routine together, and when I've had some practice, I'll run it by you. Scout's honor," they promise, complete with a matching salute.

Seeing that they're willing to take this so seriously, Frosta smiles. "Thanks DT. I knew I could count on you."

"I mean, who else would you call for entertainment? Hordak?" they laugh before thinking it over. "Maybe I should do a stand-up routine."

Seeing that she won't have to worry much about the ball's entertainment, Frosta leaves Double Trouble to continue changing into characters that only fatass fanfiction authors care about to focus on her super important, super well put together list of things to check on. Up next are the decorations, which have been delegated to a few different people, actually. And one horse.

"Swift Wind!" she calls out, and within seconds she's joined by the flying noble steed of She-Ra.

"Did somebody say Swift Wind?!"

"Yes, actually. For once," she says with a dryly surprised demeanor, but before she can even begin to ask what's on her mind, Swift Wind takes it upon himself to ask for her.

"What's the matter, your royal frostiness? Are there bad guys that need kicking? Hay that needs eating? Songs that need singing?"

His enthusiasm is admirable, but unneeded right now. "No, I just wanted to see how the streamers are coming along," she tells him.

"Oh! The streamers," he laughs before getting somewhat serious. "I am owning those streamers! Yeah, I'm showing them who's boss alright. Sure, it's a little hard to tack them to the walls when you don't have opposable thumbs, but that's no problem for Swift Wind!"

The princess decides to have a look for herself. She scans the ceilings and walls of her beautiful glacier home, thinking over Swift Wind's patterns and placement. He actually didn't do a pretty bad job, and she decides that they're actually kind of perfect. "They're looking great so far. Keep up the good work!"

That makes the magical talking horse a very happy magical talking horse. "Thank you!"

Seeing that her business is done here with him, she decides to move on to the next item on her list. "Hmm, I wonder-"

"Yes, I know what you're wondering," Swift Wind interrupts, not quite so eager to finish their conversation. Frosta just meets him with an eyebrow raise as he finishes loopty looping to his conclusion. "You're wondering who I'm going to be attending the ball with!"

It genuinely takes her back. At first she's just stunned, but then she gets a little annoyed. "What?!"

Oblivious to her true feelings, he continues anyway. "See, here's the thing. I _know_ Melog has a crush on me. I totally see it in their eyes," he states, baffling Frosta. Even if she had the words to say what she thinks though, she wouldn't have an opportunity to get them out with how quickly he gets back on it. "But I'm not sure if I feel the same way about them, ya know? And then there's the whole thing with them being Catra's pet and me being Adora's noble steed. It would just be so awkward!"

Seeing that he might actually be thinking long enough to shut up for once, Frosta takes the chance to work out some of her frustration. "Swift Wind, you're not- there's no-" Looking to him and seeing that this has nothing to do with her priorities and will only be a waste of her time though, she decides not to even sweat it. "You know what? Do what you want. I'm going to go check on the others."

As she starts to walk away, Swift Wind takes a second to digest her words to him. She didn't mean anything constructive by saying what she did, but he doesn't see it that way. In fact, he becomes grateful. "You're right! I should follow my heart and see where it takes me! Thanks Frosta!"

She just shakes her head and sighs. She has much more important things to deal with. Thank goodness for her super well put together list though. Because of it, she's able to quickly get right back on track by looking to see that her next stop should be Casta Spella, who is in charge of decorating the main ballroom.

The foyer is her canvas for decorating, and her hands (with a little bit of sorcery) are paintbrushes to create are. It's as if the rest of the world ceases to exist around her as a song is composed just for her and her decorating, a song that she's able to lose herself in for just a little while. She's happy to stay lost too, but is even happier to see the bearded face of her brother Micah as he makes his way into the vestibule.

He wears a bit of a nervous expression on his face as he carries his boxes of Panda Lilies and Zara roses with him, but he tries not to let his true feelings show too much as Casta frolics her way over to him. "Micah! So glad you could finally drop by!" she chirps as she dances a little circle around him. He can see that she's in good spirits, so he decides to loosen up a bit by having some fun himself.

"No, don't worry sis. It was no trouble getting all these together," he teases with a sly little grin.

She just brushes the remark off with one of her own. "Must you always be such a smart mouth?"

"It's just my way of showing affection. Would you rather I actually be nice to you?"

"I'm cringing," she jokes some more before scrutinizing her gaze. It confuses the grizzly man at first, but then he just glowers as she reveals what she's thinking. "Please tell me you're going to do something with your hair before the ball."

"What does it matter? I'm only chaperoning," he retorts before a less invigorating thought creeps its way to mind. "It's not like I'm… going to be dancing or anything…"

Where there was a lively air between them before, there's deflation with dejection. Casta knows that no words can ever remedy the loss of her sister-in-law and the toll its taken on her widower husband, but she's willing to do anything big or small to show her love. Micah knows it too, and that's why he tries his best to speed past the cloudy feelings as quickly as he found them.

"Besides! The kids like my look!" he proclaims in an effort to return to their original topic of discussion.

It was easy for Casta to sympathize with him before, but it's somehow even easier for her to roll her eyes at him now as if they are children again. "Oh please. Like who? Who is saying this?"

It takes a second for Micah to remember just who said such nice things about his gruffiness, but once another facial hair aficionado comes to mind, he lightens up like a candle. "Sea Hawk! Sea Hawk complimented my beard the other day!" he gladly tells his sister, who actually facepalms. "And Bow. And Swift Wind! And uh… this one guy."

"Well of course _they_ like your beard. They're too busy farting with their armpits to learn about class!" Casta argues, hoping her new tone might put an end to this foolishness. It would seem that life isn't so eager to give her the same high ground she had decorating the ball room though, and it sends an interloper in the form of Double Trouble to let her know this.

"I think he's pretty hot," they casually comment as they slip by, and Micah just blushes to himself like a giddy schoolgirl as the elvish trickster keeps on their way.

"Awww. Oh you!"

Realizing that continuing this conversation will do her no favors in the long run, she decides to shift her momentum back to somewhere she knows she can win with. "Will you give me a hand with these?" she asks as she collects the top box of flowers from Micah's stack.

He just smiles, ready to let her have this. "Since you asked nicely."

A few bulbs of Blue Tyzulas later, and they are joined with the presence of the small yet profound stature of Princess Frosta. Seeing the way she carries her little notebook of ideas for the ball so diligently warms Micah's heart for two reasons. On one hand, it reminds him of the beautiful little girl who used to do similar things growing up around Castle Brightmoon. Glimmer was always in such a hurry to grow up, but even then, she was still his adorable little princess. And they still knew how to have a lot of fun together.

On the other hand, Glimmer is an adult now. Not only a strong and prideful one, but one of the most respected Queens the world of Etheria has ever known. Someday, Frosta will be held in the same regard, and with every effort to make this Princess Prom exceptional, she shows just what kind of potential she has to be a great leader someday.

Hopefully she's able to color in between the lines by then, but until that day, she can worry more about the world ahead of her, and the progress of her second Princess' Ball. Micah expects her to be all business as she trots her way over to them, but he's surprised to see her light up with a smile as Casta turns to face her. "Hey Aunt Casta! How are the decorations coming along?"

"Did she just call you Aunt Casta?" he can't help but remark, earning him a bit of a smug shrug from his younger sister.

"All the kids do it. I'm pretty cool," she sardonically tells him before addressing the Princess of Snows. "You tell me, Frosta. How is the place looking?"

She carefully studies the main ballroom, taking in the sights of beautiful flowers, statues of ice, and linen clothes that only the best sorcery can conjure. She secretly wants to find something to nitpick, but she really can't, and a smile encroaches on her face. "It really is looking pretty great, actually," she admits, and Casta excitedly claps a little to hear such praise. As Micah smiles at the saccharine display though, the now twelve year old Princess does find something worth mentioning. "Though, the foyer does look a little empty."

Casta doesn't get too upset though. She just snaps her fingers as an idea comes to mind.

"Oh! I know just the thing to fix it! Wait right here!" she tells them before hurrying away. "Swift Wind!"

As the noble steed of She-Ra and designated stream streamer glides his way to meet her call, Frosta and Micah meet eyes. "She's always been like this," Micah points out, earning him a little laugh from the young Princess. It isn't easy to make her laugh, let alone smile, but he somehow managed to earn one. Maybe some of the same Dad charm he had with his little Glimmer is still inside somewhere? "So hey, how you been kidd- Princess," he follows up, hoping to keep the pleasantries pleasant.

Sometimes it's a little annoying when people try to be so friendly with her, but Frosta is in a good mood, and she knows that he means well. So she just smiles as she answers his question honestly."I'm doing okay. I'm a little nervous about everything, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Yeah. I'm sure the ball is in very capable hands," he agrees. It isn't much, but it's enough to remind Frosta just how lucky she is to have such good friends compared to when she first tried organizing one of these.

"Well, it helps to have… help," she admits with a bashful sort of pride.

The two just smile at one another for a moment as they allow the words to linger. With the seconds that pass, Micah takes a good look around at the ballroom surrounding him. There's a nostalgic serenity that comes with seeing crystal chandeliers reflecting light off the ice, a feeling he gets that takes him back to amazing years past him.

"You know, when I was your age, I had already heard of two Princess Balls. I'm sure they were great balls to be around, but the son of a sorcerer playing around with balls was unheard of in those days," he thinks aloud with a happy sort of wistfulness. Frosta can tell that he's feeling such a way, but she still finds his old-manness a little funny.

"Right," she chuckles, "How old are you, again?"

He just laughs. "I'm as old as I feel, that's for sure." He takes another second to think it over, then devises a better answer. "Let me put it this way. This will be my second ball."

He paces over to the nearest vase of Panda Lilies, using his magic to summon shades of pink to join the white flowers. Frosta just pays close attention, knowing that he has more to say to her. "Twenty years ago, I did everything I could to try and go to the dance with Angie. But her parents didn't like me very much at the time."

He focuses on his newly pinkened lilies rather than looking to Frosta, but the weight of his words still resonates with her deeply. It takes her a moment to think of what else he might want to say, or how she should ask about this knowing the sensitivity of the subject. Eventually though, she decides to simply ask, "So what happened?"

Thankfully, there's more joy than pain in remembering that day. "We snuck out. Our first dance was in a storage closet back at the Sorcerer's Guild," he says with a smile as he faces the little girl now. "Somehow I was lucky enough to marry her and have a beautiful daughter, and ten years later, we hosted our very own ball as a family. I'll never forget that day."

Seeing just how brightly the man shines over such a thought brings warmth to Frosta's usually icy heart. She doesn't remember much about her parents, and the idea of romance always kind of grossed her out. That doesn't stop her from having this epiphanic sense of empathy for her friend, though. "I bet it was amazing."

Micah stays quiet for a few seconds longer, studying the petal of a single lily. His smile wanes as the reality of his present sinks in once more, but he doesn't let the sadness overwhelm him. Instead, he uses these feelings for a more constructive purpose. "Listen Frosta, I know you probably think I'm some lame old man who dwells on the past. And sometimes that's true," he begins. "But when I see what you all are doing to keep the Alliance so strong, it gives me hope for the future. You all have so many balls to come."

Admittedly, Frosta still has a lot to learn about having friends. One thing she knows for sure about having them though is that when they say something really cool and really nice like this, she's supposed to just smile and say something cool and nice back. It's not even a hard thing to do as the fuzziness inside forces her to smile again. "Thanks Micah," she says, and she allows the words to linger once more as Micah just warmly smiles back.

Buuuuut apparently she misread the room. Because he wasn't done talking. "And listen, I know you're nervous, but don't worry about a thing. When Angie and I planned our ball, we made sure to do our research."

"Okay?" she conflictingly responds, unsure where this is going or what else to even really say. Everyone said being twelve would be easier than being eleven. Liar faces.

Micah doesn't quite pick up on her disposition either. He just keeps going like she's a rock on Beast Island. "I've seen some really nasty balls. I mean, stuff you really wouldn't want to catch a whiff of. There were big balls, little balls, and even some pretty dark balls. You could even call some of the balls I've seen hairy."

Now, being twelve, there's a lot Frosta has to learn about the world. Unfortunately, one thing she has already learned about… is balls. So the more she hears this old timer go on and on about the more, the sicklier her expression gets, the tenser her shoulders become. "Please stop."

All the time on Beast Island didn't help him move past old man social awkwardness though, so he just keeps rambling without a clue. Fortunately enough for Frosta though, he seems to be winding down finally. "The point is; you've got some big balls in your hands. You all do. But you'll carry these balls with love and care. I know you will. Am I making sense?"

"If I say yes, will you stop saying 'balls?'" Frosta bluntly says with her same sickly face. Before Micah can say anything else to dampen an otherwise great conversation, Casta Spella returns with her same jovial demeanor as before.

"Ta-da! What do you think?" she asks Frosta as she gestures her to look to the previously 'empty' spot in the foyer. Before she does, she looks to Micah one last time, just to let him know they're cool.

"Good talk kidd- Frosta," he tells her, and she just smiles to him before looking to Casta's improvements.

Anyone else in the world would probably just see two large conglomerates of pink and white flower petals juxtaposed together to convey some sort of pretentious message of unity, peace, or some other third thing. The way they're shaped and hung together though, Frosta decides she's had enough of balls for a little while. "I need a break," she tells the grown ups, and with that, she makes a bee line for the refreshments.

Meanwhile, a certain other member of Etheria's royalty makes her way in through the back of the ball room. Draped over her arm are two elegant dresses tailored only with the most luxurious fabrics, as well as the love of one of her soon to be fathers-in-law, assuming all goes well. Glimmer stops to have a panoramic view of the ballroom where the next Princess Prom will take place, and she silently gasps at the splendor of such a view. This is the place where she and her friends will celebrate a new era of peace and prosperity for their kingdoms… and the place where she will ask the man she loves to marry her.

The mental images of getting down on one knee, making Bow tear up, and then sharing a big hug and kiss before going to have cake and drinks with all of their other friends makes her lose herself in the most euphoric of reveries, but she doesn't daydream for long. There's still work to be done before that special night can come to life. So she shakes herself, then has another look around to see if she can find the princess of honor herself.

She has to laugh at the way Frosta trudges over to the refreshments table like an adult down on their luck after a hard day of work, disregarding the almost pleading faces of Soda Pop and Baker to reach for a Pea Cookie. It kills her inside to indulge in one where the peas and cookie touch, but after the day she's had, it's nothing but a thing.

Her moment of misery is soon vanquished by the contagiously bubbly voice of Glimmer though. "Hey punk," she playfully greets, and Frosta beams from ear to ear upon seeing her favorite Princess.

"Hey!" she cheers before hurrying over to meet her arms open wide with a great big hug. They hold on tightly for just a few seconds before Frosta motions her hand as if to bring the ballroom into view. "What do you think?"

Glimmer is happy to share her honest opinion on the display. "Everything looks amazing! You guys are really doing a great job setting it all up."

Frosta deflates a little as a heavy sigh leaves her. "It's been stressful," she admits with a chuckle.

Glimmer just smirks though, ready to show off the surprise she has in store for her. "Well, allow me to alleviate some of that stress with a dress!" she proclaims as she flails one of the dresses from her arm for Frosta to see.

"HUAH! It's gorgeous!" the twelve year old gasps, and she can't help but take the dress from her to have a better look. Glimmer just grins to herself with pride as her friend gawks with awe at the pristine blue dress she had made for her, and a fuzziness comes to her chest as Frosta gasps again. "And it matches yours! You really did it!"

"Well, just because you're the host doesn't mean you can't join in in some of the fun," Glimmer assures her, earning her a loving smile from the Princess of Snows.

"I love it Glimmer. Thanks so much," she tells her before going in to hug her again.

"No problem, kiddo," Glimmer laughs as she pats her back, but she has a moment of disturbing clarity that keeps her from fully enjoying the sentiment. "Eww, I sounded like my dad saying that."

They both laugh, but Frosta doesn't seem so distressed as she disengages from her. "That's not so bad. Your dad is really nice," she says as she looks over to him. Glimmer follows her eyes to see Micah taking a break from helping Casta and Swift Wind hang up some streamers to tie a balloon to his sister's bun, an act that first earns him a scowl, then a laugh from his sister. Seeing him so happy makes Glimmer's heart fill to the brim with warmth.

"Yeah, he's kind of amazing."

The air of enchantment is pervaded with a more sullen feel as Frosta sighs, her shoulders deflating again. "Yeah, he really is," she says, her eyes then fixing to the ground. It's a curious thing for Glimmer to see. Frosta doesn't often seem down or vulnerable, but something is clearly bothering her.

"Everything okay?" she asks, hoping to sound more like a friend than a grown up. It seems to work well enough, because Frosta doesn't get angry. Instead, she meets her older friend with piteous eyes with the hopes to confide in her.

"It's hard being me sometimes, ya know? I don't have a family like you guys do."

Glimmer's eyes widen hearing those words. Does she really feel so out of place? Has she not done enough to help her feel like she belongs? Regardless, she knows now that nothing is more important than reassuring her dear friend, especially with how much pressure she already has on her. "Frosta, don't say that. Of course you have a family," she tells her as she kneels down to her level. She looks into her saddening eyes, hoping that the truth behind her words can be enough to show she is loved. "You're like my little sister! We all love and care about you. You mean just as much to me as everyone else here. Don't ever think any different."

While she didn't mean to sound so pitiful, Frosta is pleasantly surprised to hear such kind things from the girl, the woman, she looks up to most. It takes her a moment to fully digest her words, to even begin to think of how to respond. Eventually though, Glimmer's smile shines through, and she finds it easy to follow suit. "Thanks Glimmer. That- It means a lot to hear you say that."

"Gosh, now I'm really sounding like my dad," Glimmer amusedly scoffs. "I guess something about these balls makes me feel sentimental."

"Yeah your dad was sure to mention balls…" Frosta reluctantly recalls.

"What?" Glimmer asks with confusion, but Frosta does her best to forget the terrible images that come to mind and focus more and the sentiments their- _Glimmer's_ father tried to talk about.

"He talked about how you guys all hosted the ball before me. He said it was the best day ever."

For a moment, the Queen of Bright Moon loses herself in a memory. She was very little at the time, but she can still remember the bright lights and the pomp and circumstance of her very first all Princess' ball. All of her parents' friends seemed so happy and cheerful, and most importantly, Mom and Dad were the happiest she had ever seen them. They weren't arguing about war and politics, they weren't nitpicking the smaller things either. They were just happy to be together, the two of them and their beloved daughter.

"Yeah, it really was," she says, blinking a few times to subside the sudden moisture of her eyes. Then she looks back to Frosta, who watches Micah from afar once more. This time with a bit of a puzzled look on her face.

"I feel kind of bad for him. Everyone else is going to be dancing and stuff and he's just chaperoning," she says with some sorrow. "I wish there was something I could do for him."

Glimmer looks over to her father as well. While he wears a smile on his face as he waves farewell to Swift Wind and Casta Spella, she's forced to wonder just how much pain is behind the veil. Seeing all of these streamers and ribbons must remind him of that wonderful day and the time he shared with his departed wife, and while he might actually be happy enough for everyone else to try and move past his pain… his feelings still matter. For Glimmer, she realizes that maybe they need to matter more.

A little smile stretches across her lips as she decides what she needs to do. "You know… I might have an idea," she tells Frosta, and with a dismissing glance, she leaves her side to make her way to her father.

It takes him a second to realize that she's making her way over, but when he does, he softly smiles at the woman he's proud to see so grown up. "Hey you," she greets, and he smiles wider hearing her voice.

"Hey Glimmer. Are you excited for the big day?" he asks.

"You have no idea," she answers, remembering her plan to propose to Bow. There's so many strange feelings swirling around her belly over her secret proposal and what it means for her friends and family, what it means for Princess Prom. But right now, she knows in her heart what she must do first, not just for herself, but for her father.

"Well, I'm sure you and Bow will have a lovely time together. I can tell he's really looking forward to it," he says to her, but she surprises him with her response.

"Well, actually, I wanted to ask you about that."

"Oh?" he simply says, momentarily brewing internal panic at the thought that maybe his championed son-in-law might have to reconsider his secret proposal plan. Is something wrong? Is there something Bow didn't tell him? His mind floods with questions and hypotheticals, and he's almost so caught up in them to hear what his daughter has to say to him.

"Dad… will you go to the ball with me?"

He blinks a few times, trying to compose actual words instead of babble. It's hard when she smiles at him the way she does though, especially with such a lovely dress sashed on her arm. Normally he'd just feel humbled that his daughter is considerate enough to ask him to be her date to the upcoming ball, but now he's humbled _and_ perplexed because of a very important plan that another very important person shared with him.

"What? B- But what about Bow?"

Unbeknownst to the king, Glimmer feels similar confliction over her decision. She thinks of the beautiful ring that she had made for the man she wants to marry, and how it might have to wait a little longer to find its place on Bow's finger. While it saddens her a little to realize this, she also thinks of her mother, and how proud she would be to know what she's putting first.

"I love him. I love him enough to know that he's the one for me. We're going to have plenty of balls to share together in the future," she explains, nearly melting her father's heart with such a modest stance. It's one she wears well though as she keeps smiling at him, sure in heart and mind what she has to do. "So maybe just this one year, I can share another prom with you. Like when we did with Mom."

Three fundamental truths at the exact same time. Micah realizes them all upon hearing her words. Two are selfish, and he knows that. The first is that he can't say no to his daughter. Thinking back to the amazing time he had with his family over ten years ago, understanding that he might be able to find that same magic again, there's just no way.

The second truth is that he'll have to have a talk with Bow after this. Maybe there's still a chance he can propose to her at the ball, and there might even be a way to use this all to his advantage. Regardless, he hopes he'll understand. Because the third truth is one that he knows his aspiring son-in-law can understand. Glimmer is all grown up, and he's the luckiest man in the world to know her.

"Okay. I'll go with you. But I'd make sure it's okay with Bow first. I wouldn't want him coming after me," he jokes, earning a little laugh from his newly appointed Princess Prom date.

"You're the one _he_ needs to ask about stuff. Not the other way around!" she laughs, but Micah won't have it. Somehow, he'll find a way for Bow to come out on top after all of this.

"Have you seen his abs? He'd totally kick my butt," he furthers, and Glimmer gives up trying to reason with him. Instead, she just wraps her arms around him for a hug.

"I love you, Dad."

He just smiles as he hugs her back. "I love you too, baby girl." They hold on for a few seconds longer, then Micah takes it upon himself to get things moving before they can get awkward. It's something he's been working on since returning to the kingdoms. "I suppose I should go ask your Aunt about finding something to wear. And I guess doing something with my hair," he almost sadly thinks as he pats his mane.

Glimmer just laughs. "I'd appreciate that."

From afar, Frosta watches on, the sweet sight of father and daughter laughing together warming her core. If this is her family, she's more than happy to be a part of it.

Even so, someone has to make sure the ball goes perfectly, and thanks to her little list of very well put together notes with a super awesome cover page, she's able to keep track of every detail. The food? Check. The decorations? Check. Something to wear? Check. But as she studies her list, she feels like maybe something is missing…

One last look around at the people she loves all smiling and laughing together helps her realize what it is though, and with her pen, she writes down one last goal for the list. _Have fun!_

"This is going to be the best Princess Prom ever."

* * *

**Something you all have to remember is that for all of my scholarly learnings and time sophisticating my craft as an author… I'll never not laugh at stupid things like balls and armpit farts. I'd say I'm sorry for this chapter, but I'd be lying.**

**I will say sorry for taking forever though. Life's been hectic lately between my new job and playing so much Ghost of Tsushima lol. I can't promise the next chapter of this puppy won't take as long to dish out, but I can promise that things are shifting into a higher gear starting next time. PRINCESS PROM IS ON THE HORIZON FOLKS.**

**We'll check in with the Best Friend Squad as they prepare for the big event, and some other fun faces as well. So hopefully I'll see you lovely true believers again when we come to that, and until then, thanks so much for reading! :D**


End file.
